In 1880 he graduated from the pedagogical institute of Tiflis, returning to his hometown and honoring his agreement to teach at the village school. In 1884 he returned to Tiflis and found the student organization Armenian Patriotic Union (Միութիւն Հայրենասիրաց, Miutiun Hayrenasirats) in disarray. He managed to gather some of the members along with some laborers and gave them lectures, taught them primary subjects and language, and on Sundays trained them in the use of weapons. From this group prominent Armenian revolutionary figures such as Arabo and Markar Varjabedian emerged. Mikaelian was also preoccupied with educating older student groups, whom he educated in sociology. At that time he also became interested in Armenian issues, and paid visits to the famous Armenian patriotic intellectuals Raffi and Grigor Artsruni.