Oct 25, 2017 3 min read

Like many college students, Haley Kulas chose her area of study because of a high school class.

Kulas, a 2014 South Fayette High School graduate, was enthralled by Jeffrey McGowan’s freshman biology class.

Unlike most students, though, she is taking a personal challenge head-on by majoring in biology.

Kulas, now a senior at Washington & Jefferson College, was born with a genetic condition classified as an unknown form of muscular dystrophy. She’s been a wheelchair user her entire life, and she’s been classified up to this point as a “genetic mystery.”

She grew up having biopsies and giving blood, hoping each new test would provide an answer. They still haven’t.

So, Kulas started an independent study at W&J to study her own genetics. Working with adjunct professor of biology, Emily Furbee, who is the independent project advisor, Kulas hopes to move closer to finding an answer.

“It’s not that I want to try to solve the mystery, because I don’t have enough education yet,” Kulas said. “But I think I have enough to propose a suggestion.”

Over the summer, Kulas worked at the Hemophilia Center of Western Pennsylvania, where she was a genetic counselor intern. Kulas said the experience was valuable, as she wants to pursue genetic counseling as a career.

“I’ll be taking what I’ve learned in my biology classes and genetic courses and kind of applying what I’ve learned to my own situation,” Kulas said. “I’m trying to apply what I’ve learned into my specific case. It’s easier that way, because I have access to all of my results, and I can have access to all of my genetic data.”

Kulas said she didn’t truly understand her condition until she took that biology class her freshman year of high school. Growing up, she thought biopsies and regularly giving blood were normal. That’s why she wants to be a genetic counselor – to help people understand their genetics.

“Growing up, I know I couldn’t really understand it, and so that’s why I kind of went that direction because I want to understand myself and I want to help others know what’s going on,” she said.

In her final year at W&J, she hopes to find answers that will help others.

“I want to be there for them, because I know what they’re going through,” she said. “The job has the best of both worlds. You have the science portion and you get to have that patient contact.”