Candice Rankin is a student with an eclectic mix of personal and professional backgrounds she can draw on in the BFA in creative writing program at MIU. She spent ten years pursuing acting in theater, television, and film, mostly in New York City, while attending various drama schools, including The American Academy of Dramatic Arts, the oldest acting school in America.

MIU student Candice Rankin

Although she enjoyed performing, she became disillusioned with the business and the tiring lifestyle and moved to rural Florida, where she started a house painting business. Later she moved her business to Los Angeles, where she successfully specialized in faux finish surfaces.

Candice also spent time traveling around the world. She backpacked in India for six months, studied fish in the remote glaciers of Alaska for three months, and hiked 370 miles of the Camino de Santiago, a medieval pilgrimage route from France to northern Spain.

While on a tai chi and kung fu retreat in a Buddhist monastery in China, she shared her journals with her roommate, who suggested she pursue creative writing. When researching writing programs she discovered MIU, liked the block system and the focus on personal development, and applied. “It’s been an incredible three and a half years—I am so glad I did it,” she said.

“MIU has a wonderful group of professors who really don’t inhibit or censor you and allow you to go as deep and vulnerable as you are willing to within yourself. It has been a healing, expressively fulfilling, and creative journey,” said Candice. She has also enjoyed sharing ideas and workshopping her work with fellow students in the writing program.

Candice says that the Transcendental Meditation^® technique has facilitated her writing process: “TM supports your overall functioning, patience, and creativity, and allows deeper ideas to come to the surface.”

Her favorite genre is creative non-fiction, and she has been working on a humorous memoir based on her childhood experiences and relationships throughout her life. She is graduating in June 2021 and is in the process of applying to MFA writing programs around the country.

Former MIU Professor Robert Boyer’s book on consciousness and quantum theory was recently published by Routledge India. Titled Pointless: The Reality Behind Quantum Theory, the book offers a holistic interpretation of quantum theory, based on recent advances from physics, consciousness studies, and Vedic Science^SM.

Dr. Robert Boyer

“This book systematically probes deep into the relationship of matter, mind, and consciousness to provide bridging concepts between Maharishi’s re-clarification of ancient Vedic Science and his work with modern science,” said Dr. Boyer.

The cover of Pointless: The Reality Behind Quantum Theory

Robert Boyer earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from UCLA, became a teacher of the Transcendental Meditation^® technique, and completed a master’s degree in the Science of Creative Intelligence^® at Maharishi European Research University in Switzerland. After earning his doctorate in cognitive psychology at the University of Oklahoma, Dr. Boyer joined MIU as a full-time faculty member, teaching in the psychology and neuroscience programs. During the past 30 years, he has worked in community mental health and private practice as a psychologist in the southeast Iowa area.

Dr. Boyer has been an avid researcher of Maharishi Vedic Science^SM and has published numerous journal articles. Pointless is his fourth book exploring the consciousness-mind-matter relationship from the perspectives of modern science and Vedic Science.

His second major field of interest and expertise is communication. “The two things most needed are development of consciousness and development of communication skills,” said Dr. Boyer. “Healthy communication is one of the most important tools for good family and work relationships and a key aspect of mental health counseling that is much needed in today’s world.”

Dr. Boyer has also written three books on a systematic approach to communication, which focus on the relationship between heart and mind, drawing from Maharishi’s translation and commentary on the Bhagavad Gita. He now serves as adjunct faculty and consultant with MIU, teaching classes in communication skills. You can find out more about his work on his website at bridgetounity.com.

Shagai Nyamdorj joined MIU’s ComPro program in 2011 after one of his co-workers in Mongolia applied. In his application essay he described his main goals as increasing his knowledge base and making a difference in the lives of others.

MIU graduate Shagai Nyamdorj

Since he graduated in 2014, Shagai has worked diligently towards achieving those goals. Three years ago he founded Nest Academy, a school that teaches middle school and high school students programming skills and computational thinking. “Our mission is to coach 10,000 young talents to become world class software engineers,” he said. “Once we have perfected the plan and the setup, we hope to expand to other countries as well.”

Young Nest Academy students learning Javascript

In addition, through Nest Academy’s partner company, Nest Solutions, they will match these young developers with startup companies in the US and other countries. “I want to teach our young generation to improve their lives, pursue their dreams, and make a difference in our country and the world,” said Shagai.

Shagai has found his education at MIU to be the perfect bridge to achieving his goals. The full-time paid curricular practical training aspect of the ComPro program was especially valuable because it allowed him to gain real-world experience with a US company while continuing to take computer science classes via distance education.

Mongolian design students focusing on accessibility standards

After completing his on-campus studies he secured an internship at well-known financial services company Shazam. Later he worked as a senior software engineer at Amazon before starting his own company. “I had researched similar programs, but realized MIU’s was far more valuable compared to others,” he said.

He also appreciated the practice of the Transcendental Meditation^® technique being part of his daily routine at MIU and going forward. “TM improves my sleep quality and makes me calmer in stressful situations,” he said. “I think it also helps us become more joyful and happy.”