MUM alumna Carrie Walston has always wanted to be a healer. Last year she earned her Doctor of Acupuncture degree and now runs her own acupuncture practice in Winchester, Virginia.

Carrie grew up in a family that has long practiced the Transcendental Meditation^® technique and both of her parents, Charlie and Jean Fritsch, attended MUM. When it came time to choose a college, she followed in her parents’ footsteps and decided to attend MUM.

Wanting to become a medical doctor, Carrie completed a double major in biology and chemistry and graduated in 2005. She says that going to MUM was like coming home. “Going to public high school, I didn’t really feel fully comfortable being myself,” she said. “When I came to MUM and started practicing TM regularly, I noticed a huge change in my level of comfort being myself.” Carrie also appreciates the dedication of her professors who provided an excellent education.

During her time at MUM, she took a six-week Leadership in Adventure course with Professor Ken Daley, bicycling around New Zealand. Carrie enjoyed the experience so much that she decided to become an Outward Bound instructor, leading children and youth on outdoor adventure trips for 10 years.

Carrie decided to study acupuncture because she felt it was supportive of her personal values of transformation and growth and her desire to empower patients to take care of themselves. She earned her master’s and doctorate in acupuncture from Maryland University of Integrative Health. She is currently studying towards a certification in sports medicine acupuncture. “I like that I am helping people,” she said.” It gives me a sense of purpose.”

In her free time, Carrie likes to spend time outdoors camping, gardening, and planting trees with her husband Isaiah Walston, who is also an MUM graduate.

Nicholas Pace came to MUM from New Jersey, where he obtained an associate degree in biomedical science. His plan was to study health and physiology, but after taking a few business classes he realized he wanted to become an entrepreneur.

Nicholas had been exploring meditation when he discovered MUM on Instagram. He became intrigued with Consciousness-Based^SM education and the idea of meditation being incorporated in the curriculum.

He learned the Transcendental Meditation^® technique prior to coming to MUM and noticed an immediate positive effect on his high level of anxiety. Once he arrived on campus, the progress accelerated. “I noticed that my growth was exponential being in this environment,” said Nicholas. “I shed a lot of my anxiety.”

To develop his senior capstone project he spent four months working with the Concept to Market Institute, where he learned how to create a business plan. “It was a good experience combining classroom academics with a real-life experience,” he said. “We were given instructions and a structure and we set off to work on our own. I got a simulation of a real-world project.” Nicholas presented his plan for a yoga apparel business that uses recycled fabrics at the Senior Project Honors Competition, where he was a finalist.

“Nick is a wonderful young man with a bright future,” said Cliff Rose, director of the Concept to Market Institute. “Not only was he the top student in his class, he was a strong participant in our daily Concept To Market “creative boardroom sessions”. All of the other students and I benefited from his participation.”

Nicholas also gained some leadership experience while serving on the MUM Student Government. He was in charge of organizing the field day, an outdoor games event concluding the 2017 academic year, which he found a highly rewarding experience.

Nicholas graduated with a BA in management in 2018, receiving the Outstanding Student Award from his department. He is currently enrolled in the sustainable MBA program. He is already working on some entrepreneurial projects, for example a YouTube Channel offering a series of business reviews based on metrics of sustainability and social responsibility. “I can empower the consumers — I like to call them supporters — to understand where their dollar goes and what corporations they are supporting,” he said.

Dick DeAngelis is well known in Fairfield and the MUM community. He was director of the highly popular All Things Italian Street Festival for ten years, and his latest project is an eight-part documentary titled The Fairfield History Series.

Dick came to MIU in 1975 from Northeastern University in Boston, where he had learned the Transcendental Meditation^®technique three months earlier. He was so fascinated with the idea of a school where everyone meditated that he transferred right away.

He graduated with a BA in business in 1979 and worked as a stockbroker, then as senior vice president at Telegroup and International Trading Group, training over 500 people in sales and marketing. He also started a few of his own ventures and in his free time hosted a radio show telling bedtime stories. Together with his wife Karen, who received a BS in biology from MIU in 1979, they raised five children who all attended Maharishi School.

A couple of years ago Dick became inspired to tell the story of MUM and Fairfield in a documentary series. “I feel very fortunate because I had my MIU education and was able to raise my kids in this town and I wanted to do something to give back,” he said. Although he had never produced or directed a documentary before, he didn’t hesitate to get started.

His experience with Consciousness-Based^SM education made him confident that he could connect any knowledge to his own consciousness. “My education at MIU has always allowed me to be comfortable with any field of knowledge,” said Dick.

Using his networking skills and familiarity with the local community he teamed up with faculty and students at the Media and Communications department, involved the Fairfield Media Center, and soon began production. Dick received a lot of support in the form of over 100 volunteers as well as grants and donations. He has completed two of the films and plans to finish the remaining six installments within five years. His goal is to highlight the connections among people who live and have lived in the area.

Watch a trailer for the series here.