Sára has been involved in scouting since she was thirteen, and after graduating from university, she has put her graphic design skills to use to support the Hungarian scouts. In 2023 she came to Cleveland, OH as a ‘regular’ Kőrösi Csoma Program (KCSP) scholar to help Jubilee (Jubi) camp leader Eszti Pigniczky, and returned in 2024 as a so-called KMCSSZ–KCSP scholar to support the leadership of the Hungarian Scout Association in Exteris (KMCSSZ).
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What was your Hungarian scouting background before coming to America?
As a girl from Fonyód, I joined the Balatonboglár scout troop at the age of thirteen. It wasn’t easy for me: I started with leadership work, and unfortunately, I didn’t always have positive leadership examples before me. However, I’m very grateful to the children I led; they were my real motivation. Later, when I went to high school in Kaposvár, Hungary, I commuted home on weekends to continue scouting. As a Catholic high school student, I speculated that one can’t just get into art universities easily from there, so I first did a two-year graphics course in Budapest, after which I was accepted into the University of Pécs Faculty of Arts as a graphic artist, specializing in graphic design. Even before completing my master’s degree, the Hungarian Scout Association (MCSSZ) approached me with a graphic design request, which I still feel very honored by to this day. Back in 2015 I completed the assistant scoutmaster training in Budapest, and then I also got involved in local youth communities in Pécs, so at that time I wasn’t as active in my home troop in Balatonboglár anymore. The ‘rural’ troops in Hungary are quite isolated and gradually ‘dying out’, while the big city troops in e.g. Budapest, Pécs, Kecskemét, or Szeged continue flourishing. I also didn’t have much contact with the big city scouts or the central administration in Budapest, nor any international scouting experience.
But that changed drastically in 2019…
Yes, with the 24th Jamboree, in the Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia, with 40,000 scouts in attendance. As I was over 18, I became a member of the International Service Team (IST) of 220 people. I was mainly involved in the organization of the Hungarian exhibition, so I was one of the few people who was not under the control of the central organization team, but that of the Hungarian contingent, where I met some of the leading Hungarian scouts, such as Marci Tóth, with whom I later worked at the International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) in Budapest. But before that, I went to England on an Erasmus scholarship.
Why did you go to England?
I always wanted to see the world, but for a long time I couldn’t travel at all. This scholarship was the first time in my life when I could finally be on my own and focus on myself. I didn’t have an average childhood. I had lived in a dormitory for 13 years by that time, and as a scout leader I had to look after children all the time. I took it so seriously that I didn’t go out partying or drinking, being afraid of scout parents potentially spotting me. I went to England for self-development at both personal and professional levels. I ended up not doing so well with my studies due to the circumstances, but I managed the self-development part. It wasn’t the best time to move to England in January 2020: first came Brexit, then it turned out that my landlord was staying in the country illegally, so I had to find a new apartment within a week. Fortunately, I could stay, but shortly after that the Covid pandemic broke out, and I was practically locked in a room where I had only a bed and a chair in total; I didn’t even have a wardrobe because it wouldn’t have fit. Still, I loved being there, because although it was just a small hole, it was my first ’little hole of my own’. Despite all unexpected circumstances, it was a great experience to live and study abroad; I recommend it to all students for at least a semester.
What about the IEC?
Due to the pandemic, the IEC was postponed to September 2021, when I was already back from England, and Marci contacted me again, asking for my help. In the August pre-camp of about 350 people, I was assigned to a scout patrol, but in the meantime, he invited me to be part of the media staff, and then some scouts I met previously at the Jamboree asked me to help in the kitchen. Moreover, a scout leader also reached out to me, saying he needed someone around him, so I took that job too. When the big day came, I was running back and forth at his request all day, and afterwards I worked with Marci for hours until 3:30 am, then got up at 5:30 am, as we did every morning. It was a very tough week, but also a once-in-a-life experience, where we had a great team with talented photographers. We produced some very professional content and became strongly united.
What happened to you after the IEC?
I went back to university, but in the meantime the team for the next Jamboree started to form. At the 25th World Scout Jamboree in 2023 in South Korea, about 43 thousand scouts participated. I became the Hungarian team’s designer; the brand, T-shirts, ties, backpacks, etc. were all the subject-matter of my diploma work. This was the first project I’m really proud of, especially since I was given free rein in the design. It was a fantastic experience to see my actual work come to life before my eyes. After a hard year and a half I saw everything on more than 200 Hungarian scouts. At the Jamboree, each nation promotes its own troop and there is a great tradition of exchanging badges, T-shirts, ties, etc. It was a great feeling to experience how popular the Hungarian stuff was. I was also part of the Hungarian organizer team of about 14 people who did the preparations, logistics, image design and travel arrangements—tasks I later had at the Jubi camp. I also worked in the kitchen and the media team.
So you wore at least three hats again…
More than that, because in 2022, in the final rush before graduation, the MCSSZ approached me to be the association’s graphic designer, as they needed to renew their image, and at that time they also started cooperating with UNICEF to support children fleeing from Ukraine, and they needed a permanent graphic designer. When the time came that the Transcarpathian children were in Hungary, and the schools couldn’t really help with their integration, the MCSSZ joined the international project called UAct—at its start, I was asked to participate in the Hungarian part. This request was very honorable also because many of my peers who get their diploma can’t find a job or make a living from what they studied. The graphic design profession is extremely oversaturated, and there are many mediocre graphic designers; it’s a difficult competition even for the really good and talented ones, so one has to be able to sell themselves very well. I like to stay in the background, so I especially appreciated the approach. It was also a huge honor because scouting and graphic design are both my vocations.
So from university, I went straight to the central MCSSZ office. I worked with a wonderful team, where everyone was a sensational person and a ready-to-act scout. I got into a very good environment where I could do what I love, I could give a new image to the association, and I designed several projects for UAct—including a board game, as well as the so-called Friendship Booklet to help children integrate, which we also presented in Krakow, at the regional meeting of the program. There, UNICEF took notice of the game, and there was a separate demand for the booklets to be translated into Slovak in addition to Hungarian, English and Ukrainian.
Meanwhile, we were preparing for the Jamboree, and I was working on other smaller projects as well. Unfortunately, it turned out to be too much, as there were times when I worked 10–15 hours a day. I have a great capacity for work, but this was a new level. Previously, I worked in hospitality, behind the counter of our family café during summers, but when the day was over, I went home and slept. However, after coming home from the office, I was still thinking about what else I needed to do—so this quickly became overwhelming for me. I usually want to overperform in tasks, so if I had handled everything in its place, my office career would have turned out differently, but this way I managed to burn out quickly.
Is that when and why you applied for the KCSP scholarship? Your scope was a bit different than others’.
Yes. After finishing my university studies, I was in desperate need of a change of environment, and as I love scouting, I was looking for an opportunity where I could pursue it. I remember doing the interview from a mall in Seoul, South Korea. We found out the results at the very end of August 2023, and I had less than a month to close my life and leave for the States. My role was different in the sense that I didn’t help at the Hungarian schools, I didn’t participate in the regular scouting sessions, I ’only’ assisted with organizing the KMCSSZ Jubilee (Jubi) camp. (This usually takes place once in every five years, but due to 2020 being a Covid year when it had to be cancelled, the most recent one before 2024 was in 2015.) I also was, of course, involved in other things. For example, as soon as I arrived, preparations were already underway for the 50th anniversary of the Cleveland Regös Group for a major folk dance show, the Golden Wedding. Suddenly I had to get to know several hundred people, which was a real deep end for me, especially since I have a bad memory for names—while of course it was fantastic.
And then we started organizing the Jubi. Until Christmas it was a bit more relaxed, but after that the leadership, sub-camp commander and logistics meetings started in full swing; we dealt with travel arrangements, from airport arrival to getting to the camp, and organizing hikes outside the camp as well. Every task area had a responsible person: there were travel, logistics, technical, kitchen, health etc. teams, and everything converged on us, that is, on Eszti Pigniczky, who was my mentor. In the finale of the organization, we took care of procuring camp supplies and T-shirt printing. The biggest challenge for me was that I had to oversee the whole process and the camp, while initially not knowing anyone, and I had no experience in organizing such a large event. With such a huge number of participants—850 during the camp plus 350 in the guest camp, so a total of 1200 people—, smaller and larger problems can be somewhat expected, but thanks to the wonderful leadership team, whatever difficulty there was, we solved it, and the children didn’t notice anything was amiss.
How did the camp program and the ‘problem-solving’ process go?
Every morning there was a sub-camp commanders’ meeting in the command tent. We briefly reviewed the day’s events, but our main purpose was to discuss the next day’s program so that they could prepare for it. And if someone had any problems that they couldn’t resolve within their sub-camp, they could also bring those to Eszti. In addition, since Eszti was the ’imperial chancellor’ in the frame story of King Stephen, we visited a sub-camp every day—sometimes as story characters, sometimes not; according to schedule or as it seemed necessary. Eszti is a fantastic leader also because personal relationships are very important to her. From about the fifth day on, we were already planning the closing; mainly her, as I was also active in the media sub-camp at that time, as some help was needed with the website, or when one of the editors was sick, I put together the camp newspaper.
I assume your role as Stephen King’s wife was also an important one…
Yes, Gisela of Hungary was a serious task in itself which soon became bigger than me: after a while I was the queen for the children, even if I wasn’t wearing her dress. The camp started on a Friday and for the Sunday mass I put on the purple caftan of the musician’s group called Igric to sing with them, but the children kept calling me Gisela. I told them in vain that I was then Sári Péter singing at a mass. That’s when I decided not to take off the queen’s dress for the rest of the camp.
By the way, I really came to love the role of Gisela; I got tremendous strength from the children, especially the girls. The joint girls’ campfire became one of my best Jubi camp experiences: there were campfires every evening by sub-camps, but in the middle of the ten-day camp, one evening there was a joint girls’ and boys’ campfire. Emperor Conrad, the bad character in the story, suddenly burst in on us with a great noise to convert the girls, but they didn’t give in easily. Four hundred strong young children and elderly women as one drove away Conrad’s team, shouting at them to get out, while standing in front of me as Gisela, chanting my name. Women, like Gisela, are usually only supporting actors in history, they are never really highlighted, their presence or work isn’t sufficiently appreciated; but then, there was such strength in us that it remained palpable until the end of the camp. I’d like to highlight one more thing that made that evening unforgettable: I’ve never heard such a beautifully sung, harmonized campfire song before.
Did Gisela have other tasks, e.g. together with King Stephen?
As the royal couple, we visited the sub-camps every evening for dinner, and if we were invited to their campfire, we stayed for that, too. They waited for us with nicely set tables, and gave us a tour of their sub-camp. Each sub-camp had to build a chapel, which we consecrated, as the spread of Christianity was also part of the frame story. We usually had a separate table that was decorated for us, but we liked to mingle with them, so we sat down with the patrols to chat and listen to them. The children generally immersed themselves quite well in the frame story, and each sub-camp adapted or reworked the central story at their own level of maturity. I often didn’t make it to my tasks on time because of the younger children, but they gave me so much love, constantly hugging me.
Was it clear to you after Jubi that you wanted to stay longer in the U.S.?
I went home in mid-August with the intention of coming back; I even left most of my stuff here. I really loved being here, working with Eszti and the KMCSSZ. Since then, I feel that KMCSSZ is a bit closer to me than MCSSZ: I feel they are more honest and flexible. There are a lot more older scouts who also tend to stick to their own views, but they have a much more positive and open attitude towards the younger ones: if they realize that what youngsters suggest is better, they let them try it. I also like MCSSZ and Hungary very much, but here I have found a new me. I can be a much more dedicated Hungarian scout in America than back in Hungary. I also feel more useful, more valued and appreciated for my work in the U.S. than at home.
How did the idea of the so-called KMCSSZ–KCSP position come about?
In the previous year, I had already worked with the KMCSSZ board, participating in various meetings even if they weren’t about Jubi, because they were very useful for me—especially to understand how the organization or the park operates. Since the Jubi camp covered the entire country, and even the entire diaspora from Europe, through Australia and South America, to the USA and Canada, it was useful for me to appear in as many places as possible and to work with KMCSSZ itself. I felt it was important to build new connections, to get to know the people I would need to talk to or deal with, to understand their personalities, attitudes, etc. I was also interested in how KMCSSZ operates organizationally, as I like to organize on a large scale; and if I want to take on a leadership position in either association in the future, I should know how things work there.
While participating in board meetings, I realized how much I would like to live here. However, Eszti didn’t know if there would be enough tasks for me after the Jubi camp ended. We talked with Imre Lendvai-Lintner, the current KMCSSZ president, who said that the board would also like me to continue working with them, as there are many different tasks everywhere that they wouldn’t request a separate KCSP scholar for, but they already know me, and I know the organization. That’s how I eventually became a KMCSSZ–KCSP scholar.
What are your tasks specifically?
This year, I’m trying to operate a bit differently than last year, because then I felt separated from people, despite coming into contact with many individuals—but mostly from behind a laptop. Most KCSP scholars also take trips here and there, and I couldn’t really do that, but I admit I didn’t really want to go; I preferred to be where I was needed. This year, however, I would like to see more of America, to get to many places within the Federation. I’m in Cleveland most of the time, but we also go to the Scout Park, as well as to balls and conferences. I also helped the Scout Friends Circle (Cserkész Barátok Köre, CSBK), which supports the Cleveland troops, I wrote for the Leaders’ Paper (Vezetők Lapja in Hungarian), and I take part in organizing and implementing local holiday programs.
If all goes well, I’ll soon start travelling: I’m going to New Jersey, then to an officers’ conference in Fillmore, then to the West Coast officers’ conference, where I can spend some time with the troops there—I haven’t been to America’s West Coast yet. In March, there will be a KMCSSZ general assembly in New Brunswick, the annual Scout Lunch in Cleveland, a KMCSSZ school camp in Florida—where extra help is needed—, and in April, there will be a Central Obstacle Course Competition, also in the Fillmore Scout Park. I also have many smaller and larger tasks, such as comparing the database with reality, evaluations, and online meetings, but I also got graphic design tasks: the local folk dance group is getting a logo, and one of the scout troops also approached me with a similar request. And I will probably write and evaluate this year’s Hungarian knowledge exam as well. And if all goes well with the visa extension, I would act as a trainer in the August patrol leader training, and I would also take part in its preparations.
It doesn’t seem significantly less, just very different from your previous year…
Yes, I still have a lot of tasks and several smaller ones, but I enjoy them all very much. I came to scout, and I like to do things for society and the community; I don’t like to be useless, and fortunately, I don’t feel that way this year either.
What are your plans for 2025: another scholarship or returning home?
I’d love to stay in America, but I’d prefer a regular working visa. I never planned to settle down in America. Last year I started playing with the idea for personal reasons, but my personal life has taken a different direction since then. Still, I can very much imagine living here. I’ve loved living here, I’ve loved the Hungarian scouts here. I’d love to work with the KMCSSZ, and any other graphic design work can be done from here. And I’d very much like to work somehow with people living in the diaspora.
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