Mila Kuilan’s Commitment to Sport, Service and Sisterhood

Author Ava Zajczenko '27 is a Nonprofit Management major with a focus on food insecurity and works as a student assistant at JWU, contributing to JWU News.

College life is filled with opportunities for growth, leadership and connection — and Mila Kuilan '26 has embraced them all.

She is a political science and pre-law track major who truly embraces every opportunity campus life has to offer. As captain of the women's lacrosse team, president of the Student Government Association and academic and community service chair of Sigma Delta Tau, Kuilan leads with energy passion and purpose.

Despite her full schedule, she thrives on connecting with others and making a meaningful impact across the many communities she's part of at Johnson & Wales University.

Why JWU?

When deciding where to attend college, the thing that first drew Kuilan in was the athletics: "That was my main priority, being a part of the lacrosse team."

It was after Kuilan toured JWU's Downcity Campus that she "fell in love with the city aspect — how there's always something to do and that there are so many opportunities that I could get involved with."

Not only did JWU have the lacrosse community for her, but they also had her intended learning environment. During her tour, she learned that "JWU has small classes, which was something else that I was looking for to have more of a personal connection with my professors."

She's had a great opportunity to interact with her professors: "They all have real-world experience in their respective fields. We had professors who were focused on international aspects, war-based aspects and domestic policies."

Due to the smaller class sizes, Kuilan was able to have her professors know her on a first-name basis. "[That's] something I was looking for, because being a student athlete, you have a lot of other commitments that sometimes conflict with class. Knowing that they knew me and they knew exactly what I wanted to do with my degree made it a lot easier to make connections."

Kuilan also works for the largest lobbyist nonprofit in the United States, the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), at the State House in Providence. Not only is she getting industry experience, but this experience complements the degree she is obtaining right now—another reason for attending JWU.

Proudest Moments in Her Lacrosse Career

There are a few stand-out moments that Kuilan is most proud of as a JWU athlete. The first big one: winning two conference championships in her first and second years at JWU. "In my junior year, we also made it to the championships, but unfortunately lost," she shares. "I have two rings, which was a good way to start my career."

During her junior year season, Kuilan was recovering from a major illness and still gave it her all when competing, even when she wasn't feeling her best. She ended up scoring second on the team for 59 points and 51 goals, which was a big accomplishment as a junior.

Her final stand-out moment in her lacrosse career? "Being the captain and leading a very young team. We have 15 first-years who joined this year, there are nine returners, so I have a lot of work to do with them,” she explains.

Kuilan feels honored that her coach trusted her enough to let her lead the team, which hopefully will achieve victory again this year. "It's very rewarding being captain of the team," she notes. "When [my younger teammates] found out I was captain, they all looked up to me. It's a very fun opportunity."

"They ask me questions, even if they're simple, like "Where is TACO?" Kuilan continues. "It's super rewarding to see their hard work pay off in the field, knowing that I'm the backbone of the team to lead them."

Kuilan enjoys the structure and resources that being a student athlete offers. "When you have practice, you know within a certain amount of time that you need to get your homework done," she shares. "You have a lot of resources available to you (such as practice areas, coaching etc.) I know that I get to wake up every day, go to class and go to practice, and I'm excited to be there. They feel like my second family."

As for how her team is doing this current season, Kuilan says they're off to a good start. "We're looking forward to some new competition and showing them that JWU works hard for their spot in the Conference of New England (CNE)," she states. "We're looking to take some big wins this year and I'm so excited the season's here."

Leadership Through Commitment on Campus

Kuilan is very committed to her campus activities, which in addition to being the captain of the women's lacrosse team includes serving as president of the Student Government Association and community service chair of Sigma Delta Tau.

She is also a part of Order of Omega, where she serves as vice president, and Chi Alpha Sigma, a local chapter of the National College Athlete Honor Society. As a very extroverted person, Kuilan's activities help her make friends and have people whom she can rely on.

Kuilan feels that all these commitments on campus are helping prepare her for post-grad life. "I'm a political science pre-law major, but I work a lot in government and politics," she notes. "Joining these clubs and being the face of student government has prepared me to network the same way I would within a real job space."

Being president does come with its own obligations. "There are a lot of responsibilities that nobody sees, such as making sure meetings are on time and managing your time," Kuilan shares. "For the student government, we allocate money for clubs and organizations so that everyone gets the money they need. It teaches you how to set time management, because I am very busy."

But even with all these commitments, it's very rewarding for Kuilan to see these clubs benefit from the work she is doing and to know that her networking is paying off for her post-grad career.

Being a part of her sorority has been a very rewarding experience for Kuilan. Joining Greek Life her sophomore year, she has expanded her connections even further. "I always tell people if you're not on an athletic team and you're looking for a sense of community, Greek life is definitely the way to go."

"Being a part of a sorority on campus is a great way to bond with other girls who share the same interests as you," she adds. "We have sisterhood events that really bring us closer together!"

Not only can Kuilan connect with her sorority sisters, but she can also connect with the sorority's huge alumni network: "If I ever need advice or am looking for opportunities, I can always reach out to them."

Post-College Plans

After graduation, Kuilan's main goal is to go to law school. "I just took my LSAT, which is the law school admissions test you need to pass that to get into law schools, in February," she shares.

After law school, she wants to go into the government sector. Currently working in advocacy at a nonprofit, she really enjoys what she is doing. She hopes to continue with something similar after law school, sharing, "I think once I graduate law school, I'll make my way back into government advocacy."

Through leadership, dedication and connection, Kuilan continues to shape her college experience while preparing to make a meaningful impact beyond JWU.

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