MUM student Jesse Bryant hails from the small town of McPherson, Kansas, where he grew up helping in the family vegetable garden and working summer jobs on surrounding farms. After finishing high school, Jesse served in the US Army for five years.

In 2014 Jesse’s father persuaded the whole family to learn the Transcendental Meditation^® technique. Jesse noticed several immediate benefits. “TM helped me sleep better and helped me concentrate,” he said. “It made me calmer and made it easier to see things the way they are without interjecting my own feelings and thoughts.” Inspired by his experience, Jesse wanted to learn more about the TM^® technique, so he applied to MUM. During his first semester, he completed the TM-Sidhi^® program.

Following his interest in organic farming, Jesse majored in sustainable living. In addition to studying organic agriculture, he took classes in renewable energy and natural building. During an MUM break, he also attended a straw bale building workshop in Oklahoma.

His favorite experience was learning about traditional Indian recipes for organic compost, soil fertilizer, and pest repellents from Dr. Thimmaiah, professor of regenerative agriculture. Jesse became intrigued with the application of Vedic knowledge to agriculture, and spent his free time in the library combing through texts of the Vedic literature.

On the recommendation of Professor Thimmaiah, Jesse did a four-week internship in the Bhrugu Aranya ecovillage in Poland, where residents practice the Vedic custom of Agnihotra fire ceremony to purify the atmosphere and enhance the soil with the ashes from the fire. In addition to working in the garden and greenhouse, Jesse helped with the construction of a building made with straw and clay. “I think that the internship served my studies very well, and it may indeed be the perfect ending note to my degree in sustainable living,” he said.

MUM alumnus Kenichi Suzuki serves as the assistant general manager of the Communication Department of the Democratic Party for the People in Japan. He recently published an article in The Diplomat, an international current affairs magazine for the Asia-Pacific region. His article highlights how South Korea’s National Security Advisor played a key role in the recent North Korea summits.

Kenichi developed an interest in politics as a teenager, and pursued it with the conviction that politics is a means to creating an ideal government that positively affects people’s lives in the direction of improved health, happiness, and prosperity. He came to MIU to study government in the light of Maharishi’s knowledge and to follow a healthy lifestyle, including the practice of the Transcendental Meditation^®technique. He graduated with a BA in government in 1994.

During his time at MIU he interned with Iowa’s US Senator Chuck Grassley and former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. In 1996 he obtained an MA in sociology from the University of Essex.

For more than 20 years he has been devoted to establishing a two-party democratic political system in Japan and has worked for numerous political leaders, including former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama. Kenichi says he strives to follow Maharishi’s advice and maintain “purity of heart” and use his career as a vehicle of service to follow his dharma.

In recent years, he has been involved with the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP), which Kenichi describes as “Asia’s largest political forum, and a place where political leaders can speak freely about issues toward its ultimate goal of an Asian community.”

Kenichi appreciates the network of people he developed through MUM and how they helped him in his career. He is also grateful for how the TM^® technique supports his everyday life. “TM helps to bring me confidence in my mind,” he said. “This, in turn, enables me to keep trying new things and yet keeps me calm in the midst of such activity. This is because my consciousness can experience the unified field of natural law through TM.”

Kenichi’s wife Tomoko, an MUM alumna with a BA in psychology, helps him in his political work, and their 12-year-old son Seiji enjoys discussing politics.

Zara Colazio came to MUM in the fall of 2016 and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in science within two years. She studied Maharishi AyurVeda^SM and wrote her senior project on the positive effect of Ayurveda on menstrual health, which became the winner at the 2018 Senior Project Honors Competition.

Zara has always had a passion for health and an interest in the human body. Growing up in the mountains of Colorado, she enjoyed hiking and participated in competitive horseback trail riding, swimming, soccer, lacrosse, track and field, powerlifting, and other sports.

She wanted to become a naturopathic doctor, so she started taking college level classes in high school. By the time she graduated from high school, she had earned two associate degrees through the Colorado Early Colleges program.

In her senior year, she started looking for a college with a holistic approach to education and found MUM. She learned the Transcendental Meditation^® technique, attended a Visitors Weekend and, upon meeting the hosts, the students, and the faculty, Zara knew she wanted to study at MUM.

After learning the TM^® technique she noticed an immediate increase in her ability to manage her academic load. At MUM she experienced a leap in personal growth. “Practicing the TM technique as part of the curriculum was the biggest thing I got out of the school and the amount of inner change that I gained from it,” she said.

During her time at MUM, Zara’s interest in health grew into a broader system of health education that includes physical, spiritual, mental, emotional, and sex education. As part of her senior project on women’s health, she taught health education classes at Maharishi School and discovered that the School shares her interest in a comprehensive system of health education. She was hired to help implement a new health curriculum and to teach middle school math, as well as middle school and high school P.E.

In her free time Zara enjoys exercising and competing in sports, such as Jiu Jitsu and pickleball. In the future, she wants to earn a PhD in gender studies and human sexuality.

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.