Orchard graduate Muiz Rana has already accomplished a lot after graduating from The Orchard School in 2020.

 

During his sophomore year at Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School, he noticed a gap in the school’s education and performance on standardized tests, so he started a math club with four other students. “We helped numerous students raise their math scores on standardized tests, and some students who we helped were even able to raise their scores to the 99^th percentile,” Muiz said. “Eventually, the club helped with math contests like the Catholic Math League, the Indiana State Math Contest, and many more. This led Brebeuf to win several national and state titles.”

 

In May, Muiz closed out his junior year by helping Brebeuf’s Math Team become state champions at the Indiana Academic Super Bowl State Finals held at Purdue University. He was a key competitor on the team this year and was able to use his mathematical skills the entire time, without ever being replaced by a substitute.

 

Over the summer, Muiz will take Introduction to Evolutionary Genetics at Harvard University. This class is part of a selective program for high school students seeking college-level courses. “I will learn a whole semester’s worth of Harvard class material in just two weeks,” he said. “In addition to class, I will also have the opportunity to experience college life firsthand by living in the undergraduate dorms and partaking in activities around Harvard’s vast campus.”

 

The future for Muiz includes hopes of medical school and restoring people’s health. “My end goal is to attend Stanford Medical School after majoring in biology, chemistry, or biochemistry in order to become a cardiothoracic surgeon,” Muiz said. “Even at a young age, I’ve always known what I wanted to do after my mother, being an OB-GYN, showed me the value of helping others.”

 

Muiz recently stopped by The Orchard School to catch up and see some of the Orchard teachers he credits for his success. “Apart from the excellent education provided by outstanding teachers,” he said, “I find the techniques of how to navigate school to be the most useful, such as note-taking methods and different approaches to homework.” He was able to easily transfer the skills learned at Orchard to high school. “I felt prepared and was successful immediately at Brebeuf,” Muiz said. “Orchard has played a crucial role in the development of my academic career and for that, I am grateful.”

 

BUTLER CONNECTION: Rana adds biology research at Butler to his resume In order to expand his knowledge of biology further, Muiz Rana ’20 is conducting research in Jennifer Kowalski’s c. elegans lab at Butler University. C. elegans are nematodes or worms that have only 302 neurons, making them easy organisms to examine. Muiz’s research projects include examining neuromuscular function through imaging. He presented his findings on neuromuscular function and the results of isoamyl alcohol assays at the 138th Annual Indiana Academy of Science Meeting.