THE KUNDLAS FAMILY: A LEGACY OF HELPING AND HEALING
W
HEN DR. KULMEET KUNDLAS completed medical school, he noticed that our country had many doctors specializing in specific areas of health, but a lack of generalists offering overarching patient care.
After scholarships and financial awards left the family’s college savings mostly untouched, Dr. and Mrs. Kundlas decided to continue their legacy of helping others by creating a $100,000 endowment to help students with financial need.
“I truly believe that good primary care can be very instrumental in managing diseases,” says Dr. Kundlas. “That is how we have focused our two successful practices over the past 24 years.”
“We came to this country with $80 and our degrees in our hand. Once a person is educated, there are no limitations,” said Manjit, who, like her husband, immigrated to America from India. “After learning about current students’ financial needs, I’ve become an advocate for spreading the word about ways others can help. And the feeling of knowing that you are helping others reach their dreams is so motivating. I still remember getting teary-eyed when our first scholarship student told us that he had the highest test scores in his class, but was not sure how to pay for the next semester until he received our scholarship.”
Kundlas and his wife, Manjit, have two children, Ajay and Anmol, who grew up watching their father and mother help manage the health of their patients in the Winter Haven community. As a result, both children knew from early on that they wanted to follow in their father’s footsteps and pursue medical careers.
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We came to this country with $80 and our degrees in our hand. Once a person is educated, there are no limitations.”
– Manjit Kundlas
So, the Kundlases began saving money for their children’s education. When Ajay and Anmol learned about the USF Judy Genshaft Honors College’s seven-year program’s accelerated path to medical school, they knew it was the right fit for them.
12 UNIVERSITY of SOUTH FLORIDA
As their children progressed through Honors and into USF’s Morsani College of Medicine, the Kundlas family again found a way to help by creating a second endowment, this time $100,000 to assist Morsani College of Medicine students in need. Based on their positive experiences with the university, Dr. and Mrs. Kundlas have recommended both the Judy Genshaft Honors College and the Morsani College of Medicine to their family and friends. “This university provides a safe environment with top-notch research and education,” says Dr. Kundlas. “When you combine that with an effort from the faculty and staff to push USF over and above each year’s rankings the sky is the limit on how much a student can grow and become here. We have
enjoyed being part of this ascending journey of USF.” Mrs. Kundlas agreed and added her appreciation that this is “a multi-cultural university welcoming people from all over the world. Students have access to experience other cultures and benefit from diversity.” She herself is experiencing other cultures as last year she entered medical school at the American University of Antigua. While raising her children and managing her husband’s medical practice throughout the years, Mrs. Kundlas never lost sight of her own dream to practice medicine. She earned a master’s degree in bioscience and took the MCAT before deciding that the time was right to continue the Kundlas legacy of healing others. “I could not believe that I’m getting this wonderful opportunity, but the reality is settling in now,” she says. “I’m very happy, because that’s what my dad wanted me to be. I wish he was alive today. He would have been very proud of me.” Mrs. Kundlas recently finished her first year of medical school online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and is looking forward to earning her degree. Although she plans to pursue the field of managed care, she first wants to volunteer and heal those who cannot afford traditional medical expenses. “I am fortunate that this is a second inning for me,” she says. “I want to give back first.”
