puzinas was born on in near deltuva to a family of well-to-do peasants. after graduating from , with the help of steponas kairys, he was accepted to the university of lithuania. there he studied lithuanian language and literature, comparative linguistics, and pedagogy in 1925–29. even as a gymnasium student, puzinas showed interest in lithuanian culture: he collected local lithuanian songs and myths (sent to ) and local vocabulary (sent to editors of the academic dictionary of lithuanian). as a university student, puzinas became a secretary of antanas smetona, president of lithuania, and helped him edit and organize his correspondence and other paperwork. with smetona's help, he received a scholarship of 20,000 litas from the ministry of education that enabled him to continue his studies in a western university. he was the first to receive such scholarship; as a condition of the scholarship, he had to repay 10% of his post-graduation wages to the ministry.