Student spotlight: Meet Timothy Bielecki

Education is one of the four pillars of UNMC’s mission and our students are the lifeblood of that aspect of campus life.

In UNMC Today’s Student Spotlight, we get to know some of these students, who will become tomorrow’s health care professionals. Today we meet:

• Name: Timothy Alan Bielecki
• Hometown: Gilroy, Calif.
• Program/Year: Cancer Research Graduate Program (CRGP), fifth year

List three songs on your playlist.

• “Cigarettes & Coffee,” Otis Redding
• “Say My Name,” ODESZA
• “Everlong,” Foo Fighters

What sparked your interest in cancer biology?
I’ve always had an innate fascination with biology. After my grandparents passed away from cancer, my focus narrowed toward cancer biology, which eventually led me here.

Your favorite study snack is:

Trail mix — a.k.a., M&Ms with obstacles

Your favorite app is:

Podcasts. It’s a fantastic way to learn while doing routine lab work. My favorites are Intelligence2 debates, Hardcore History by Dan Carlin, Stuff You Should Know, and the Fantasy Footballers.

• I’m currently serving as the Alumni Relations chair for the Graduate Student Association. My main focus is to develop an online directory of UNMC alumni from all the colleges on campus. This directory will serve as a way for current students and alumni to reach out to other alumni in the UNMC network. We believe the UNMC alumni directory will open new doors for interprofessional collaboration, provide mentorship opportunities, improve career outcomes, and even help highlight the successes of numerous alumni. If you want to get involved, please let me know! Check out the mock-up website designs shown here.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• I played free safety for the Carleton College football team. It was NCAA Division III but it still counts as college football, right?
• I spent three months in Australia studying coastal marine ecology, swimming with sharks, surfing with dolphins and hanging out with kangaroos. Not all at the same time, though.