A Dream Come True

A Dream Come True A poster depicting Monet's "Water Lilies" hangs next to the chalkboard as first-grader Kaitlin Miciunas quietly repeats after the teacher. "Un ... deux ... trois ... " With that moment began a child's dream of exploring the world beyond her Illinois home.

Today, that dream is coming true.

Now an architecture major at Carnegie Mellon, Miciunas is also the winner of this year's Gindroz Prize for Travel/Study – a $7,500 award established by Marilyn (A'73) and Ray Gindroz (A'63,'65) to enhance education through travel in Europe and the study of traditional architecture, urbanism and music.

"Experience gained from traveling is irreplaceable, and I can only imagine how it will impact my education," Miciunas said, emphasizing the importance of studying architectural masterpieces in their own environments."

Her itinerary includes time in Paris, Berlin and Vilnius, where she will study the architecture, landscape and urban space of each capitol city - producing drawings and analyses. Upon her return, she will present a lecture to the Carnegie Mellon community and plans to produce a gallery exhibition based on her experiences and research in Europe.

Miciunas recently enjoyed an opportunity to meet the donors behind the annual scholarship - and thanked them for helping her realize her dream of studying abroad.

"They are extremely interesting and obviously passionate about the arts and education," Miciunas said of the couple. "Marilyn and Ray lead extraordinary lives with many fascinating stories to tell."