Notre Dame alumnus. Science teacher. Football coach. Warsaw Warhammer. These are but a few of the many personas that make up Jesuit’s own Mr. Dominic Golab. Born on the streets of Detroit in 1988 to Polish parents Jolanta and Pawel Golab, Mr. Golab entered into an extremely diverse and daring family. “My parents were both from Poland, though they both could speak multiple languages. My mom could speak Polish, Russian, and English while my dad could speak French, Polish, and English. When they were growing up, Poland was still a communist state. The government was really strict back then. They realized they wanted a better life for my brother and me, so they looked for a way out. Risking the jobs and lives of their families, they got passports off the black market. Claiming they were going on vacation to Turkey, they fled the country in secret. In Turkey, they applied for US refugee status at the embassy. I wasn’t born yet, but my brother was 8 years old at the time.”
After reaching the US and having Mr. Golab in Detroit, the family moved to Birmingham, Michigan, where Mr. Golab grew up. “I went to Brother Rice High School, a school very similar to Jesuit. They also had all boys.” As a kid, Mr. Golab had big aspirations and desired to be like his parents. “When I was really young, I always wanted to be a football player, but I eventually realized I wasn’t gonna be big enough, so I decided to follow one of my parents and become either a lawyer like my mom or engineer like my dad.” Mr. Golab began his advanced academic career at the University of Notre Dame, a prestigious Catholic university in South Bend, Indiana. Having immigrated from Poland, his parents knew little about American universities, but “they did want [their son] to attend a Catholic school,” Mr. Golab commented. “My older brother went to Notre Dame and that was our (his family’s) first time experiencing an American university.” Mr. Golab started off his career at Notre Dame with engineering in mind, dual majoring in physics and computer designs. But during his time at Notre Dame, he decided that “engineering was not for [him].” However, he “still wanted to find a career in science.”
Science wasn’t Mr. Golab’s only passion while at Notre Dame. As many know, Mr. Golab was also a star boxer. Having played lacrosse and football in high school, Golab definitely wanted to continue in sports in college. “I’ve always loved the Rocky movies, and when I heard of Notre Dame’s boxing club freshman year, I thought it’d be a great opportunity.” As time went on, Mr. Golab grew extremely fond of the sport and took the famous name “The Warsaw Warhammer!”. Discussing the origins of the name, Mr. Golab said, “In the boxing club, there was about 300 people. Every boxer gets to choose their boxing name. As I started to get really good, my friends were all into me boxing. I’m not very creative, so they wanted to make a creative and memorable name for me. They were interested in my background, so they called me the Warsaw Warhammer.”
For Mr. Golab, though, boxing wasn’t just about flashy names and fighting. “I fell in love with boxing first day of practice. At Notre Dame, it was more than just the sport, but a great community. One of our biggest projects was raising money for Bangladesh. I also got to go see and teach the locals. It was an unforgettable experience, one that changed my life immensely and actually started my interest in teaching.”
Early into his career, it was evident that Mr. Golab was going to be a star for the club. With a 10-3 record, the Warhammer rarely lost a match. One of his first losses was against a current pro boxer, Mike Lee. “He said that I gave him one of the toughest fights he had.” Senior year, Golab went undefeated. “One match was against a guy who was 15-0. He never lost till he met me.” So how does the Warsaw Warhammer find his way to Jesuit? “Beginning of my senior year, I was really into law school, thinking of becoming an intellectual property lawyer, making the big money, etc., but as the year went on, I simply lost interest.” Luckily for Jesuit, Mr. Golab then went into teaching. “There was a teaching program called ACE, where you dedicate service to an underprivileged Catholic school. I was sent to New Orleans to an all-boys school called Archbishop Shaw, and I simply loved it.” After completing his service at Shaw, Mr. Golab was at a crucial moment in his life. “I didn’t know what to do. There were so many options. I was in a serious relationship at the time with my current fiancé, (whom he’s known since freshman year at ND), and she found a job in Dallas, so we went.”
Coming to Dallas, Mr. Golab, with an excellent repertoire of experience and knowledge, was highly sought after by many corporations. “I had several interviews, like one at UT Southwestern, but none of them seemed like the right fit. I then looked at Catholic high schools to find somewhere similar to Shaw and my own alma mater, and I saw Jesuit. Many of my friends from Notre Dame went to Jesuit, so I had already heard about how amazing the school was. With an amazing academic department and great athletics, I knew this would be a perfect home for me.”
Reflecting on his years so far at Jesuit, Mr. Golab stated how much he’s loved it. “I spend a lot of time here, from coaching football to teaching physics and math. I have such a fun time while at Jesuit. I’m so glad and grateful that I’m here. I hope to be here for a while.” As stated, Mr. Golab teaches physics, precalculus, and BC calculus along with coaching football. “I didn’t expect to be a varsity coach when I came here. It takes a lot of time and effort, but I really enjoy it and am lucky to work with such great coaches on both sides of the ball. I hope I can really help Jesuit both in the classroom and on the field for a long time. I enjoy it all: the students, the players, trying to push them to the best they can be. I got a lot out of my high-school experience, so I want to hopefully give back and help students the same way I was helped. Whether its football or math, its pushing guys to be the best they can be.”
Mr. Golab hopes to really lay his roots here in this community. “I want to be here for a while, and I’m open to everything. Getting married in May, I have to think what is best for my family. I want to give everything I can to Jesuit.” Mr. Golab’s hard work and efforts have not gone unnoticed.
Clay Phillips ‘16 said, “I have enjoyed the privilege of being a student of Mr. Golab’s twice: first in summer multimedia after freshman year and again this year in honors precalculus. He’s definitely different from other teachers that I’ve had in that he lets his students dictate the class. I think this interactive teaching style is beneficial in teaching an often complex and confusing subject like math. In his question-oriented class, it is evident that he cares a lot for the success of his students and is very knowledgeable about the subject at hand, two very admirable qualities for a teacher to have. Everyday I look forward to his class and I can’t wait to see what his class has to offer for the rest of the year.” Similarly, Emmet Flood ‘16 also gave his thoughts on Mr. Golab: “He cares about his students’ academic success, while also pushing us to the best of our abilities. He is not afraid to challenge us to the point of discomfort, forcing us to truly learn and not get by with minimal effort. Though this can sometimes be frustrating in the moment, I appreciate the study skills and work ethic which I acquire in his class in the long run.” As seen by these testaments, Jesuit students have really come to love Mr. Golab. In lightheartedness, many students have come up with catch phrases in honor of him, like “It’s time to GOLABorrate,” and the always loved “GOlab or GO Home”. The Warsaw Warhammer has been an amazing part of Jesuit’s community, and he continues to challenge both students and athletes to achieve their highest potential. As Noah Patton ’16 simply put, “He’s such a nice guy.”
