On June 19th Maharishi University of Management held its 44th commencement. Around 600 students from 49 countries graduated this year, including 78 students from the Maharishi Invincibility Institute, MIU’s sister institution in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The commencement ceremony this year fell on Juneteenth, a holiday that commemorates the abolition of slavery in the US. Commencement speaker Dr. Yolanda Lewis-Ragland expressed her belief that the recent declaration of Juneteenth as a national holiday is a beginning of true emancipation and can set the country free from a mindset that focuses on division. She also acknowledged the role of Consciousness-Based℠ education in developing the potential of every individual.

“Transcendental Meditation gives us a new definition of emancipation,” said Dr. Ragland-Lewis. “It helps us rid ourselves of the limitations of our minds, the shackles placed on us from childhood traumas, rejections in society, from toxic ideologies and relationships. With TM, we break free from those shackles and embrace our creativity, our ability to learn, and fully participate in this world.”

Dr. Lewis-Ragland is an MD, board certified in both pediatrics and obesity medicine, who has lived and practiced in the most impoverished and traumatized communities of Washington, DC. She has created the Dr. Yolanda Cares Foundation, an organization that focuses on reducing health disparities in vulnerable communities. She also works as a wellness coach combating obesity and is the author of three books.

Dr. Lewis-Ragland serves on the board of directors of the David Lynch Foundation and is a strong advocate of the Transcendental Meditation® program. She has received numerous recognitions for working to improve the quality of health and promote health equity. For her service to global health, MIU awarded Dr. Lewis-Ragland an honorary doctor of science degree.

MIU presented three additional honorary PhD degrees this year. Rena Boone received a doctor of education degree for her lifetime service to Consciousness-Based education and teaching the TM® technique. Ms. Boone taught at Maharishi School for 25 years and is currently the David Lynch Foundation’s regional director for the Washington, DC, area.

Jeffrey Abramson, who served as chair of MIU’s Board of Trustees for the past 12 years, received an honorary doctorate of world peace. Mr. Abramson is co-owner of The Tower Companies, an award-winning leader in green building. He has supported MIU and numerous educational and peace-creating projects around the world. He is also founding trustee of the David Lynch Foundation and the creator of the Rona and Jeffrey Abramson Center for Peace, dedicated to preventing conflict and fostering peace in war-torn regions.

Watch the replay of the commencement ceremony here.

MIU alumna Simone Cabizuca hails from Belo Horizonte, the capital city of southeastern Brazil’s Minas Gerais state. Simone earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and worked as a teacher of English as a Second Language for 30 years, teaching professionals and working with corporations.

For most of her life Simone experienced anxiety and frustration when she wasn’t constantly busy. In 2016 she felt she needed to switch gears, so she began taking online courses on meditation and other wellness modalities. In 2017 she attended an introductory lecture about the Transcendental Meditation® technique, and she knew instantly she wanted to learn it.

“In the first few months I had amazing experiences,” she said. “I felt I was at home inside myself. I didn’t need to go anywhere to search for things. It was incredible and I wanted to go deeper.”

She soon learned about MIU and decided to apply. She joined the on-campus master’s program in consciousness and human potential in 2019 and enrolled her 14-year-old daughter at Maharishi School. After six months, she had to return to Brazil due to a family health emergency, so she continued her studies online.

For the last two years, Simone has also been involved with her father’s coffee-growing business, helping to market and sell their line of specialty coffee. In addition, she organized online seminars on Vedic knowledge by MIU faculty for her local community, viewed by hundreds of people.

Simone graduated this June, receiving the Outstanding Student Award from the Department of Maharishi Vedic Science℠. “One of the main things about this program is that it changed my perception about life, myself, and my relationships,” said Simone. “I feel calmer, more patient, happier, and more joyful. It’s fun being myself.”

Simone has also enjoyed making friends and appreciated the support of the faculty. She feels that finishing her degree online allowed her to integrate the knowledge with her experience more easily. When her daughter finishes high school in two years, Simone plans to apply for the PhD program in Maharishi Vedic Science.

MIU student Christi Nickey grew up in a small farming community in Indiana, where her grandparents and parents farmed the same land. When she was in high school her family moved to Florida, where she attended culinary school and worked as a chef in Palm Beach County.

When a series of hurricanes struck the Florida coast in 2003 and 2004, Christi and her parents decided to move to safer and more sustainable grounds. They bought a farm in South Carolina, where Christi worked while pursuing a bachelor’s degree in animal science at Clemson University.

After graduating, she moved to Colorado Springs to work as a chef. When the COVID pandemic hit last March, Christi and her partner, who is also a chef, both lost their jobs.

Christi decided to return to school and study organic, sustainable agriculture. She looked for programs online and found MIU’s Regenerative Organic Agriculture Program. After visiting and taking an online course last spring, they moved to Fairfield and she enrolled at MIU.

Christi enjoys the hands-on experience of the program and the safe, friendly atmosphere of Fairfield, which reminds her of her hometown. Christi says learning the Transcendental Meditation® technique was the right next step to take, along with returning to farming.

“I feel more confident now that I am making the right decisions,” she said. “When you are on the right path, you know it. Practicing TM has increased that feeling of being on the right path, and making good choices is easier.”

While attending school and raising her three children, Christi also took a staff position with the Sustainable Iowa Land Trust (SILT) as farm and food coordinator for Fairfield. As part of a new SILT campaign called Circle Our Cities, she is working to protect land for sustainable food production on local farms around Fairfield during this year, with the ultimate goal of surrounding ten Iowa cities with ten permanent food farms in ten years. “I am passionate about farmers, protecting land and biodiversity, and making great food,” she said.

After graduation, Christi would like to stay around Fairfield and start a permaculture-style farm.

MIU alumnus Raul Calderon Jr., PhD, was recently appointed as executive advisor to the International Organization of Health, Sports, and Kinesiology (IOHSK).

Raul Calderon’s career as a physical educator, health researcher, and sports and exercise professional began 40 years ago when he first arrived at MIU. He had competed in sports like basketball, soccer, and track and field since third grade, so he chose a bachelor’s degree in education and physical education, graduating in 1982. He then pursued an MA in exercise and sports science at the University of Iowa, and an MS and a PhD at MIU in health psychology.

“My overall desire has always been to help students grow,” said Dr. Calderon. “MIU gave me a broad, comprehensive point of view and I continued to build on that. I am using that model of Consciousness-Based education and higher states of consciousness and study how different techniques can develop the mind/body connection, reduce stress, and lead to a healthier, happier, and longer life.”

Dr. Calderon was an assistant professor at MIU between 2005 and 2012 in the Departments of Education and Exercise and Sports Science. He directed the MIU rock-climbing club and ran leadership and adventure sports trips with Professor Ken Daley.

For the the last seven years, Dr. Calderon has been teaching and researching at universities in South Korea, Vietnam, India, and Thailand. He has also spoken at numerous conferences on the psychological well-being and health of Asian students and the psychology of sports performance and has published the results of his research in scientific journals.

Dr. Calderon is currently on a sabbatical, visiting universities in Central America to offer his expertise and promote the IOHSK. He also plans to continue his research in Central and South America on the connections of health behaviors to psychological well-being.

Physical exercise and the practice of the Transcendental Meditation® and TM-Sidhi® programs are both integral parts of his daily routine. “It’s important to me to practice what I teach and be a role model for my students,” Dr. Calderon said.