“Engineering is almost like an art, requiring you to be creative with your solutions and work in a team to bring your ideas to life.” Meet Miklos Sunario, entrepreneur and UBC Engineering student.
Miklos Sunario
- Degree: Bachelor of Applied Science
- Program:
- Campus: Vancouver
Year: 2nd year
Why did you choose UBC?
I was accepted on scholarship at some other universities, but I chose UBC because of what I’d heard about the UBC experience. I wanted a university that prioritized student learning and student mental health. My experience is that UBC is a very welcoming place. The student life and academic balance is really good, and they’re very supportive of student initiatives. UBC also has a strong international reputation.
What have been some of the highlights of your education?
Introduction to Engineering Design (IGEN 230) was a great course. We had to build and program a robot car to follow a line track. To do that, we had to integrate our knowledge of the different disciplines of coding, mechanics, hardware and electrical circuits. This is just one of many examples of how the best solutions come when you incorporate different knowledge systems.
Have you learned new ways of thinking as an engineer?
I’ve learned to think more analytically. Before, my tendency was to prototype everything, which was often inefficient and used up a lot of time and resources. I now start with the understanding that everything has flaws and that I should take the time to identify them before developing a full solution or prototype. This has been a very helpful approach when developing my business, EduBeyond.
Tell us about your business.
I am a co-founder of EduBeyond, a company I started in high school with two friends. In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic we created a non-profit global tutoring company. EduBeyond evolved out of that when we realized we could have a greater impact by using leading-edge technology to address education disparities, particularly for students from low-income families.
We are creating a gamified learning experience that can be implemented within any education environment. The idea is that students will get that serotonin boost needed to keep them motivated and engaged. We are working with researchers at Harvard, Berkeley, UBC and the University of Toronto to ensure our product is aligned with the latest research in educational psychology and is using the right educational and AI tools to maximize learning and retention.
In November 2022, EduBeyond won the Moonshot Learning Award. In a competition of 1500 start-ups in 88 countries, we were honoured to be named the most promising education company in the world. As part of the award we presented our work to the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations. We’ve also shared our product with the Indonesian parliament and hope to launch it in that country.
Have you been involved in any school activities?
In my first year I was the president of the UBC Engineering Undergraduate Society First Year Council. This was a super experience that included a lot of mentorship from older engineering students. It also taught me some basics about administration, running meetings and overall responsibilities that have helped me with my business.
Do you have a dream job?
I feel like I am in my dream job. I love what I’m doing and am excited about the possibilities for EduBeyond and building it into something that will flourish. I want to continue being an entrepreneur and seeing where that takes me.
