Among this year’s winners of the plebiscite for Woman of Success of Warmia and Mazury 2025 was Maj. Magdalena Socha, spokesperson for the Regional Director of the Prison Service in Olsztyn, and at the same time director of the International Film Festival in Olsztyn “Prison Movie”.

The Golden Ten Women of Success of Warmia and Mazury 2025 has been selected!

According to the chapter members, this was the most difficult election yet. Out of 38 submitted candidates, they had to select 10 ladies with outstanding achievements. The organizers emphasize that in this election formula, success is seen not in material terms, but as social recognition of local communities. The heroines are role models for others, showing what values are worth following in life to win widespread respect and admiration. This approach to success is alternative to that promoted by the omnipresent consumer culture, which sees success as money and celebrity fame.

The organizers’ website reads:

“The measure of success is not the position one has achieved in life, but the obstacles one has overcome.”

The Gala of Women of Success of Warmia and Mazury, organized by Ewa Domaradzka-Ziarek for 27 years, was this year under the special patronage of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The guest of honor at the gala was Ignacy Niemczycki, Secretary of State in the Chancellery of the Prime Minister. He previously served as Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Development and Technology in 2024.

Major Magdalena Socha is a psychologist by training, a specialist in addiction psychotherapy, secretary of the “Live Consistently” Foundation, and an academic teacher at AMISNS in Elblag. She is also a spokesperson for the Regional Director of the Prison Service in Olsztyn.

She co-created the interdisciplinary projects Team Copernicus and Team Kant, implemented by the Prison Service, the Center for Education and Cultural Initiatives in Olsztyn and the Warmia-Mazury Philharmonic. Thanks to her talents and charisma, she brought inmates, SW officers and artists into one painting project (a 7m x 3m work).

She was the organizer of self-defense workshops for the Provincial Public Library in Olsztyn aimed at female employees who have direct contact with so-called “difficult customers” (people who pose a threat to library staff and users with their behavior). The training combined practical behavioral instruction with a discussion of effective communication aimed at deescalating tensions and using one’s own potential to prevent conflicts.

Magdalena Socha is the director of the International Film Festival in Olsztyn “Prison Movie”, the world’s only international review of films on penitentiary issues. Its mission, she emphasizes, is to present films in the social space, create a platform for discussion, demolish stereotypes associated with the prison system, and encourage people to see behind prison walls another human being. She also sees the preventive potential of the productions and the real impact on attitudes and behavior not only of those deprived of freedom. In making “Prison Movie,” Maj. Socha is not afraid of bold topics and examines the difficult prison reality, giving space to change it for the better, helping convicts to believe that despite their mistakes, there is still an open future waiting for them.

Ms. Majors showcases her work with inmates, recognizing the need to exchange experiences and change prisoners, including through projects with them. By inviting artists from around the world to participate in the Festival, she allows people to look behind the walls and not only satisfy their curiosity, but show how important a role prisoners play in bringing criminals back to society. Change is the essence of the idea of the Prison Movie Festival.

Janusz Cieplinski Director of the Warmia-Mazury Philharmonic in Olsztyn, says this about the Festival:

“Coming into contact with “Prison Movie” absolutely changed my thinking about what is the world of convicts, their children, their families, but also the world of the people who work there, the guards and the whole environment. An absolutely unique event.”

These are barely a few of the projects that Magdalena Socha initiated, co-created and implemented. In them she became known as a passionate, sensitive and talented person, capable of building understanding. With the above in mind, the Provincial Public Library in Olsztyn submitted the candidacy of Major Magdalena Socha for the election of Woman of Success of Warmia and Mazury 2025.

Our winner emphasizes:

“This is an incredible honor, but also a reason for joy and gratitude to all those with whom I came together to create projects appreciated in the local environment. I am glad that the social potential of the activities I advocate has been recognized.

Thank you very much to the esteemed Chapter for the award! I hope to live up to the social responsibility of the awardee.

It is said that there is no lift to success, you have to walk up the stairs. How many have I climbed? I can’t count. How many more are ahead of me? I will decide for myself. Above all, I am grateful that I am not going alone.

And I dedicate this award to all the ladies in the Prison Service and those who intend to join our ranks. Never doubt yourselves, the strength is in you! Strive and reach high without fear or complexes. I believe in you!”