Powerfully Prepared

The alumni in this issue demonstrate that our graduates are exceedingly well-prepared for college, careers, and beyond. Passionate and hardworking, these alumni are making meaningful contributions, and we are proud to be part of their journey.

By Steve Patchett

MIKE KOSLOV ’13

Lights, Camera, Action!

During his days at MBS, Mike Koslov ’13 was well known as a creative student who would make impressive and amusing videos for Morning Meeting. Today, he is busy working on a feature film, Month To Month, which he co-wrote and co-directed with a close college friend from Syracuse University. He is also finishing post-production on another film, Friends From Home, which was shot during a 30-day road trip across America.

Koslov said that he has been obsessed with filmmaking since second grade when his grandmother gave him an old video camera. He started shooting short films with friends in town, making everything from James Bond spoofs to music parodies. He truly honed his craft, however, during his time at Morristown Beard School.

“MBS was one of the most supportive places in helping me nurture my creativity and career goals,” said Koslov. “Part of that distinction belongs solely to Mr. (Chris) Finn, who not only taught me the technical aspects of how to make a movie, but also made sure I had all the tools to do so. The support at MBS was unreal. On top of that, I had access to great equipment and was able to show my projects on a regular basis to hundreds of people in an amazing theater. When I graduated from MBS, I felt so ahead of the curve in college, not only with filmmaking but my general education.”

Koslov earned a BFA in Filmmaking from Syracuse University, where he graduated summa cum laude and studied abroad at the Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. After college, Koslov traveled to Lebanon, where he shot a documentary revolving around Syrian refugee school children competing in an international robotics contest. He served as cinematographer for the project, which is in postproduction and is expected to be released later this year.

For his most recent project, Month To Month, Koslov teamed up with college friend Derrick Owens to write and direct a comedy about an aimless young man wandering around Los Angeles in search of his stolen car. “This project was born out of the pandemic,” said Koslov. “We were both struggling with deeper questions about what we thought would bring us happiness (we had a lot of time on our hands), and this story emerged from that shared quest to find meaning.”

Koslov is currently editing the film, which he shot in December, and hopes to have a first cut later this spring. “We are making this movie on a micro-budget, but we are confident in our abilities and team. We’re still on schedule to get the film done by summer, and hopefully it will have a strong festival run!”

Koslov is also busy finishing post-production on Friends From Home, a no-budget narrative film about a 30-day road trip that features his writing, directing, and acting skills. “I have done about seven cross country trips, and every time I would see locations that I would dream about shooting at, but getting a full crew to a remote location in Montana or Oregon is not fiscally feasible,” he said. “So, my friend and I decided to shoot the movie all by ourselves—Robert Rodriguez style!” He hopes to apply the film to various festivals later this year.

Being creative with how you tell a story is Koslov’s favorite part of filmmaking. “Telling stories through film is such a powerful medium to express thoughts and ideas. Hopefully, a movie will give you insight into a character’s world and make you think a little,” he said.

Koslov added that he appreciates the teamwork and community aspect of filmmaking and is grateful to everyone who believed in him along the way.

“Morristown Beard showed me that I could make movies. I am still on that journey today,” he said. “My entire school experience revealed to me the power of community and support, which is vital if you ever want to make a film.”

VANNAKAY HURNEVICH ’86

The Sky’s the Limit

Vannakay Hurnevich ’86 traces her love of aviation to her childhood, and she has many fond memories of flying with her father in small airplanes. Today, she has channeled that passion into a career as a captain for Delta Airlines, flying the Airbus 319/320/321 across the globe. She was also named Chief Pilot for USA 3000 Airlines, a position few women have held.

Born in Bernardsville, Hurnevich was also an avid equestrian, and she spent much of her free time during her days as a Morristown Beard student riding her horse and competing in horse shows. “While I loved high school sports, I was unable to dedicate the time required for practice and games,” she said. Still, Hurnevich was able to stay involved with her MBS friends by serving as the softball team’s statistician. “This allowed me to be part of the team yet still ride my horse on most days,” she said. “During my senior year (1986), we were undefeated and state champions, and I was so proud of the team!”

She enjoyed her time with MBS Softball Coach Spike Billings, and credits Headmaster Phil Anderson with being “a wonderful teacher, advisor, and mentor.”

After graduating from MBS, Hurnevich decided to pursue a degree in Economics at Southern Methodist University. As a sophomore there, she started taking flying lessons at a local airfield near the school.

“Once I started flying, I was hooked on aviation,” she said. “When the time came to graduate with my Economics degree, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, but I knew I wanted to try something in aviation.”

She began in aircraft sales and marketing before going to flight school to become a commercial airline pilot. After completing her training, she was an instructor for several years and flew for a few regional airlines until being hired by U.S. Airways in 1999.

Unfortunately, due to the economic impact of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the airline industry, she was furloughed from U.S. Airways and was unemployed for nine months. She then began flying for USA 3000 Airlines, a former Airbus 320 carrier owned by Apple Vacations. During her 10 years there, she flew as Captain of the Airbus 320 and, for the final year and half, was the FAA-designated Chief Pilot for the airline. “As one of only a few female pilots to be named an FAA-appointed Chief Pilot for a Part 121 Air Carrier, it was quite an honor,” she said.

In 2011, she was hired by Delta Air Lines as a simulator instructor on the Airbus 320, where she taught for almost four years. At the time, Delta was not actively hiring pilots, but she was fortunate enough to be hired as a pilot there in 2015. Since that time, she has flown the Boeing 757/767, the McDonnell Douglas 88/90 aircraft, and is currently a Captain on the Airbus 319/320/321.

She said that one thing she loves about her job is that there is no such thing as a typical day. “Every flight is potentially in a different city, with a different crew, airplane, weather, and passengers,” she said. “I love being able to connect people to new places, family, friends, and more. I love exploring new places and cultures. I love that every day is a bit different, and the views from my office window are sometimes incredible.”

Hurnevich usually flies two to four-day trips with each day consisting of anywhere from two to four different flights, depending on the length of the flight.

Because she is on the road so much, Hurnevich says that most of her days off are spent at home with her family and pets. “I also still ride horses and on most of my days off, you can find me at the barn.”