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Miroslav, LLL Alumni, Class of 1999

During the beginning of his high school career, Miroslav Koulnis was a typical teen with very admirable grades and a vague idea of what he wanted to for a career. However, it wasn’t until the summer of his sophomore year that he decided to explore his opportunities in the medical research field. After coming to Linking Learning to Life for assistance, Miroslav was placed with Dr. Long at the University of Vermont through Project SEED. Together they worked on a summer long cloning project and explored many facets of molecular biology from technique to experimental layout, as well as more understated concepts such as the lifestyle of a researcher. It was though this direct hands-on experience that Miroslav believes his passion for molecular biology was sparked. He states that “I enjoyed not only the challenge of working on something new, but also seeing what it was like to be in a more professional "for-real" kind of environment. This can only be experienced first-hand by jumping straight in and seeing it for yourself - similar to the saying that a picture is worth a thousand words.”

           
However, what Miroslav took away from this experience beyond the concepts and use of molecular biology and cell research was a student-teacher relationship that he has carried with him though out his life. Miroslav claims that “what you end up learning is that interaction with others is an integral part of research, or success in any other area really. When it came my turn to show a few things to a student or two, I realized that teaching and learning are really two sides of the same coin in that I was also learning things I may not have understood very well until I had to teach the material to someone else.”
Moreover, workplace confidence and willingness to step out of his comfort zone were two traits that Miroslav acquired and he claims were invaluable. He learned to ask questions, to be perceptive, and to always be proactive because everything takes a little work to achieve. By transferring these important skills to his life today Miroslav has expanded his array of skills beyond the lab and has also become a competitive cyclist, a talent he never knew he had until college. Extending this passion into a potential career Miroslav can “now see myself having opportunities to combine my interests in scientific research in the areas of hematology (and exercise physiology) and the sport of cycling”.  
          
Miroslav exemplifies the true potential that Linking Learning to Life programs have for students. Beginning in 1999 though his summer collaboration with Dr. Long, Miroslav gained valuable professional traits that he has not only carried with him throughout his educational career but has also shared with multiple mentees and college students through various programs at his University. He is currently finishing his PhD in Immunology and Virology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and recently received the Dean’s Award for student mentoring in a laboratory setting.