How could you? Just the other month, January 21st came and went, as it always does.

Yet I’m willing to bet that not one of you paused to celebrate Poland’s National Grandma Day.

At this point, the very least you could still do is wish your grandma a heartfelt, if belated, *Dzień Babci*.

I can’t speak for everyone, but I’m fortunate to have three incredible grandmas in my life. Together, they have been a constant source of wisdom and inspiration and are some of the coolest women I know.

From nursing to running a jewelry shop, and even bravely beating cancer, my grandmas embody resilience and creativity. My grandma on my mom’s side has a garage stocked with every craft and art supply imaginable.

In a lot of ways, I have her to thank for my creativity and my love for that world. My great-grandma, despite losing the use of her right arm to cancer, has, at the age of eighty, spent years teaching herself to continue to make beautiful paintings with her non-dominant hand.

The effortless grace, quiet glamour, and incredible strength in being a grandma often goes unnoticed and uncelebrated, and I have had enough.

So, I set out across campus, gathering stories, advice, and memories about Grandma Beavers from fellow students— and they did not disappoint.

Hagen Rankin, a second-year here at OSU studying Mechanical Engineering, said that his grandma is a very strong woman, and not just because she was once an accomplished power-lifter. 

“[My grandma] is thoughtful, strong, and well-researched,” Rankin says. “If you asked her for life advice she’d probably say, ‘Stay informed and do your own research’.”

Good political advice is always welcome, but what stood out most in Rankin’s answer was his story about his grandma being a powerlifter. Hearing heartfelt memories of loved ones is always lovely, but it also left me wondering: what other unexpected and incredible things have the grandmas of OSU students accomplished— and what are they up to now?

Ashleigh Martin, a first-year Biology and Sustainability OSU student, said, “My grandma was an interior designer, and when she divorced my grandpa, she got the house, got the kids, and painted a big mural of aspen trees in the living room.”

Martin went on to talk about how creative and outgoing her grandma is, and that those traits are qualities she hopes to embody in her own life. 

“Be yourself,” Martin says on behalf of her grandma. “Do what you want to do, and don’t let other people tell you how to live your life.”

From power-lifting to paining murals, it’s becoming clear that there isn’t anything a grandma can’t do. 

This was made even more clear when I spoke to second-year Mechanical Engineering student, Owen McNary-Sprague.

“She [his grandmother] is very kind and very creative, she kind of grew up in a situation where she had a lot of strong women around her, and she was raised to be very independent and self-motivated.” Martin-Smith says. “She pushed the norms of the time, but she also loves knitting and quilting and stuff, so I grew up appreciating her strength but also her creativity”

He backed up these statements by telling us about how his grandma would come over every couple of weeks to repair re-stuff the stuffed animal he abused as a young child— classic grandmotherly love. 

I also spoke with Mackenzie Allison, a second-year PHD student studying Toxicology here at Oregon State University, and who spoke highly of her grandma’s resilience, thoughtfulness, and generosity. 

“I’m raising my siblings with my grandmothers help. My mother passed away and my sibling’s father is in prison, so she gave up her retirement plans to help raise me and my siblings.” Allison said. 

Maggie O’Neil, a first-year political science major, told a story about a time she argued with her mom and how her grandma comforted her. 

“She took me aside afterword, held my face in her hands, and said, ‘You are so beautiful,’” O’Neil told me.

“She always created such a safe space for me and everyone around her,” O’Neil added. 

At this point, after hearing about all these incredible women, it’s hard not to see just how wonderful our grandmas are, and how we take them for granted far too often. 

If grandmas who power-lift and grandmas who help raise families aren’t enough for you, I also got to chat with Matthew Cox, a second-year Nuclear Engineering student. 

“Personally, my grandma on my mom’s side was a teacher, and she was by far the nicest person to talk to in my family.” Cox said. “She was very calm and sweet, she just emulated that kind of grandma energy, y’know?”

I think that sums it up; that strong, calm, sweet, and endlessly loving grandma energy. 

It’s clear that our grandma’s are way more bad-ass than we give them credit for. So, if you haven’t recently, tell your grandma you love her, and next year on January 21st, make sure to tell your grandma “Wszystkiego najlepszego z okazji Dnia Babci!”

Which is, of course, Polish for “Happy Grandma’s Day!” Or, better yet, just tell her how great she is every day. And make sure that she know’s its from all of us at Beaver’s Digest!