Lorain native represents Polish heritage in doctoral pageant

LORAIN – Twenty years after she took the stage to represent her Polish heritage at Lorain's International Festival, Monica Burgett, Ph.D., is doing the same thing nationally. Burgett, of Lorain, who holds a doctorate in cellular and molecular biology from Kent State University, was named Dr. World Poland as part of the 2024 Dr. World Productions pageant competition. The virtual competition is not one of swimsuit modeling and runway walks, but educational achievement, mentorship and community service. Contestants submit their resumes, including current mentoring activities, charitable work, honors, awards, career and educational background, Burgett said, before going through an interview process to advance to the Dr. World competition to represent their respective heritage for the larger title. "There's nothing, to my knowledge … that had a competition for women with doctorate degrees and supporting women who want to educate women (and) support women," she said, noting one would normally never associate women with advanced degrees with stereotypical pageants. Burgett found out about the pageant from one of her sister's friends, she said, but it was her history with the International Festival and her own cultural heritage that spurred her forward. In 2004, Burgett represented her Polish heritage as an International Princess, with her mother as her inspiration behind her participation. It was something she never thought she'd experience again, as she moved on from Admiral King High School to her lengthy academic career. Burgett's mother, Ewa, emigrated from Poland in 1980 at 29 years old, she said. Ewa Burgett struggled to find work, knowing little English and was unable to drive when she moved to the States, her daughter said. "She was able to forge a very successful life here as a self-taught tailor," Monica Burgett said. "… That, to me, is such a great success story and I learned everything from her — being brave and going for what you want to do in life." Decades later Ewa Burgett was diagnosed with cancer, Monica Burgett said, and after a long fight, died in 2022. Monica Burgett's competition in the Dr. World pageant is a "kind of painful circle," a chance to honor her mother's legacy and celebrate her cultural heritage, she said. "I think her story also echoes the universal truth that everyone will face significant challenges in life, but I think from supporting one another and through empathy, understanding and service … we can unite, discover (the) strength to triumph and find resilience in the face of adversity," she said. That resilience is key to Burgett's platform for the competition, which will include Facebook posts and additional work in the community until the final selection for Dr. World this fall. Most of all, Burgett hopes she is making her mother proud. "I do it for her, and I know that she always said that everything she did, she did it for me," Burgett said. "So it kind of went both ways. … We always supported each other and I just want to carry that through and keep it going, even though one of us is not here anymore." Burgett is an associate scientific director of medical communications, developing educational materials for clinicians and patients to help them understand treatments and decipher research findings. She also works to help launch new therapies by writing papers on new drugs or research findings. Outside of work, Burgett crochets blankets for the nonprofit Knots of Love, which provides beanies to individuals going through chemotherapy and blankets to infants in neonatal intensive care. To follow her in the Dr. World competition, visit her Facebook @drworldpoland2024. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.