Szymon explained to his parents the credits it takes to graduate, how to pay tuition, and about the classes he needs to take. They were lessons that came in handy when his two younger siblings followed him to U of I.

All three Kaminski siblings attend U of I and are pursuing majors in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Szymon, the oldest, is a senior in global studies and political science; Pawel, the middle child, is a junior in integrative biology and psychology; and Gabriela, the youngest, is a freshman in history.

“We don’t have anyone here who could tell us how to prepare for college. I really didn’t know what to expect,” Szymon’s mother, Beata, said. “He prepared us for Pawel and Gabriela.”