Keeping the peace at Pace University
SECURITY OFFICER OF THE YEAR. Jerzy Mlak is dedicated to finding others, and creating a sense of peace -- at work, and at home.
Growing up, Jerzy Mlak always wanted to help people but, with his mother concerned that police work was too dangerous, he found his way into security instead. On the job at Pace University for the past 15 years, Mlak enjoys meeting new students, helping them acclimate to life at Pace and helping solve the problems or questions they might have.
Understanding, Mlak feels, is as important as wielding authority.
“Every day is satisfying,” said Mlak. His family hails from Poland, and he was “kind of raised to help people, so everyday there is an opportunity to positively influence a life.”
Mlak takes special pride helping people during emergencies—being the calm voice of experience and empathy—as well as giving directions to people who might be lost on campus or the neighborhood in general.
Mlak was born in Jersey City, relocated to his family’s native Poland and then returned to Jersey City where he graduated from the Catholic St Mary’s High School.
He has returned to Poland since, but said it’s not the same as it used to be. “Poland has become a vacation spot,” he said, explaining that much of his Polish friends and family have relocated to the U.S.
In his spare time, Mlak is an ardent fan of mixed martial arts, not so much the showy UFC matches but other less prominent MMA competitions. He practices aikido, a noncompetitive Japanese martial art that focuses on harmonizing with your opponent to bring peaceful resolutions to situations involving conflict.
“I’m very attracted to inner peace and self-improvement,” he said, adding that Bruce Lee is an inspiration “more because of his philosophy than fighting style: ‘Be like water, my friend.”