As a child, Eva’s head was full of bright ideas. She was purposeful, bold and creative. She loved writing and hoped to be a successful author but life had other plans for her: she left Poland and arrived in Australia as an 18-year-old refugee 36 years ago. She spent the first few years learning English and working all sorts of part-time jobs to make a living, from knitting sweaters to operating old-school switchboards, with a range of challenging jobs in between. As time went by, she found herself settling in a quiet, multicultural suburb, building her life and family with increasing confidence and ambition.
However, it’s when she started working in translation and interpreting that she found her true calling and that her younger aspirations started fulfilling her true potential. Helping people overcome language and bureaucratic barriers was satisfying personally, making a difference to people’s lives, both at an individual and a community level.
“If life has taught me one thing it’s that if you work hard and apply yourself, you can be successful. You need to have a vision, to be creative and flexible, but the world is at your fingertips if you are willing to reach out and grab it. Oh! And surround yourself with good people”.
Her work turned into a business, which has been building steadily over the last 20 years. She started off with a desk and a computer in her laundry and now has offices in Melbourne, in Łódź, in London and New York. Eva’s company employs dozens of people and has branched out into other services. She is driven and ambitious today, but she admits that it was not always the case.
EVA HUSSAIN
polaron.com.au
E-mail: eva.h@polaron.com.au