{"id":246,"date":"2020-07-29T13:23:51","date_gmt":"2020-07-29T17:23:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/socialwork\/?post_type=cu_people&p=246"},"modified":"2026-03-05T10:37:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T15:37:00","slug":"filip-szadurski","status":"publish","type":"cu_people","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/socialwork\/people\/filip-szadurski\/","title":{"rendered":"Filip Szadurski"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Most people believe that life experiences can contribute to success. In the case of Filip Szadurski, those experiences have included moving to a new country, dropping out of school, and then starting over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy parents left Communist Poland in 1988,\u201d Filip explains. \u201cWe found ourselves frequently displaced while my parents searched for stable employment. My brother and I were the targets of prejudices in school\u2026due to our obvious lack of English.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Filip eventually dropped out of high school and pursued culinary training. He became a chef but struggled with the unstable lifestyle common in the restaurant industry. He also wanted to pursue a career that was more fulfilling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI wanted to do more than cook amazing food for wealthy people,\u201d he says. \u201cSo I started volunteering with marginalized people. It gave me a sense of purpose and a feeling that I never had before.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Filip turned his focus to education: earning a GED and a college degree in social work before enrolling in 杏吧原创\u2019s BSW program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI decided I had to treat it like a job and put in the extra work needed to learn,\u201d he explains. \u201cIt hurt me to see students not taking their work seriously because I know what it\u2019s like out there if you don\u2019t strive. I\u2019ve lived on the other side of the fence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Filip\u2019s volunteer work with treatment and homeless centres influenced the research he did for his honours research essay in the fourth year. Entitled \u201cCurrent Healthcare and Social Service Programs for Canada\u2019s Absolute Homeless Population: Program Evaluations,\u201d it summarizes dozens of research studies to assess whether the policy of \u201cHousing First\u201d\u2014followed by treatment\u2014works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe studies showed Housing First was very effective at improving life outcomes, health, housing stability, and prescription adherence, but there is room for improvement,\u201d says Filip, who won the Faculty of Public Affairs\u2019 180HRE competition for his presentation of his research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Filip is already making a difference in the field of social work, he decided to continue with his education. He plans to pursue a law degree at York University in the fall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI wanted to challenge the systemic and human rights issues I\u2019ve witnessed, but in social work, you can\u2019t go to court and fight for someone,\u201d he says. \u201cWith both social work and law degrees, I will be able to tackle those issues more concretely.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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