Kamila is toastmaster at the Nobel Prize banquet
“When I moved to Sweden from Poland as a 16-year-old, I could never have imagined that, one day, I would be holding a speech in that room. In fluent Swedish. I believe in doing your best in life and taking every chance that comes along.”
Kamila Marzynska, a law student at Stockholm University, smiles happily as she reflects on her role as toastmaster at the Nobel Prize banquet. For the third year in a row, she will be welcoming guests to dinner at the City Hall, raising a toast to the Chairman of the Nobel Foundation and the Swedish King. Once the main course has been enjoyed and it's time for dessert, she gets back up on the podium. At that point, the Nobel Laureates giving speeches will be introduced – in Swedish, in their mother tongue and in English.
It's a big moment in their lives, so I want to introduce them in a supportive way.
Learning to pronounce the Laureates' mother tongues
“It's a big moment in their lives, so I want to introduce them in a supportive way. I need to get the pronunciation and intonation of the phrase in their mother tongue just right. As soon as I find out which languages I need to speak, I book meetings with the countries' embassies to get some help”, Kamila explains.
She speaks three languages fluently – Swedish, Polish and English – and has studied German, Italian and Russian. Among the languages she has had to familiarize herself with previously is Korean, as the 2024 Nobel Laureate in Literature, Han Kang, was one of the speakers during last year’s dinner.
I think it's lovely that so many students get to attend the Nobel Prize banquet.
“Korean is a lovely language, it kind of flows in a soft and romantic way”, Kamila thinks. “At the banquet after the dinner, a Korean journalist came up to me and complimented my pronunciation. That made me really happy.”
“Almost a bit surreal”
She also had the opportunity to exchange a few words with Han Kang who is far from the only Nobel Laureate Kamila has spoken to. However, she explains that the Laureates are greatly sought-after during the banquet and constantly surrounded by people who want to speak to them. In-depth one-to-one conversations are not really possible.
She has also met a number of well-known politicians and researchers. This year, she hopes to converse with, among others, the Speaker of the Swedish parliament, Andreas Norlén.
“It's almost a bit surreal to be there and see all these famous people around you. One minute you’re talking to Ulf Kristersson and the next you spot Magdalena Andersson and Ebba Busch close to you. And a bit further away the entire royal family. I think it's lovely that so many students get to attend the Nobel Prize banquet.”
An afterparty organised by students
But how do you actually become a toastmaster at the Nobel Prize banquet?
“It all began when I got involved in the Students' Nobel NightCap in 2015”, Kamila says. “I met my current partner there and it was he who later suggested that I apply to become toastmaster. The assignment is for three years and you have to be a student the whole time.”
I have developed my ability to get others to listen to me, to own my space.
The Students' Nobel NightCap is an afterparty to the banquet, organized by SSCO, Stockholm's students' central organization. The student unions at four universities – Stockholm University, KTH, Karolinska Institutet and the School of Business, Economics and Law – take turns and this year the afterparty will be held at Stockholm University. Virtually all students who work with the event are volunteers. Kamila is not involved this year but will attend the party, which always includes a secret theme.
“The theme is a big secret, no one is allowed to say anything and you cover all the windows when the party is being prepared”, Kamila explains. “I think the Nobel NightCap is a lovely event where you can relax and just be yourself.”
To believe in yourself and own your space
One piece of advice that she has received from her toastmaster predecessor Sara Tabari is to have fun and enjoy being part of the whole Nobel thing.
“When speaking at the banquet, I start off by saying that it is a huge honour to be there and I really mean it. To be entrusted to stand on that stage. It's easy to doubt yourself, but this has given me self-confidence and the courage to believe in myself. I have developed my ability to get others to listen to me, to own my space.”
It’s hard to tell that Swedish is not Kamila's mother tongue. She came to Sweden from Poland as a 16-year-old and first studied an international upper secondary school programme (IB) in English in Skara. The plan was for her, like many others in her family, to become a doctor. Her great-great-grandfather was a gastroenterologist and a pioneer in oncological treatment. In 1927, he became the first director of a new institute for radium treatment in Łódź, Poland, collaborating with Marie Skłodowska-Curie, a scientist and Nobel Prize winner whom Kamila admires.
Many years of studies led to the Law programme
However, when it turned out that Kamila herself suffered from hemophobia – fear of blood – she had to rethink her career choices and it became important for her to learn Swedish. She moved to Stockholm and began studying International Relations. Eventually, she earned a bachelor's degree in the subject and then another bachelor's degree in English Literature. Before she was admitted to the Law programme she also completed a master's programme in Political Science at Södertörn University.
“Now I'm working part-time while studying because I can't take any more student loans”, she laughs. “I'm in the last semester of the Law programme, working on my thesis in Maritime and Transportation Law. I haven't quite decided what I'm going to do when it’s finished, if I’ll work at a law firm straight away or if I’ll do a clerkship at the district court.”
The great thing about the Nobel Prize is that it's not about where you come from or what language you speak. It's about what you've done for humanity.
Happy to inspire children and young people
Her participation at the Nobel Prize banquet has made children and young people around her realise that becoming a researcher can be an option when you grow up. That people who conduct research and receive a Nobel Prize have done something to help other people.
“I'm so happy if I can inspire them in that way”, Kamila says. “It's especially fun if girls open their eyes to STEM* because it has been such a male-dominated field. The great thing about the Nobel Prize is that it's not about where you come from or what language you speak. It's about what you've done for humanity.”
*STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
Last updated: November 11, 2025
Source: Student Services