Dylan MacDonald—Pursuing Enlightened Leadership

by Jeff Whitten | Apr 25, 2022 | Achievements, Excluded from search, MIU News

April 25, 2022 • ISSUE 620

Dylan MacDonald

Pursuing Enlightened Leadership

MIU student Dylan MacDonald was working on a banana farm in Australia when he learned the Transcendental Meditation® technique. Now he is one of four recipients of the new Enlightened Leadership Program scholarship.

Dylan grew up in the United States, had a troubled youth, and lacked direction. But then he began reading religious texts and practicing meditation. The more he learned, the more he wanted to follow a spiritual path. Looking for a fresh start, he moved to Australia. He had heard about the TM technique before, and when he learned it two years ago he knew he had arrived at the end of his quest. “I realized that I wanted to teach TM and help others,” he said.

Working on a banana farm in Australia

Soon he changed jobs and started working with the disabled and the elderly. He spent all of his free time volunteering for the Australian TM® organization, helping to organize courses and retreats. Last summer he heard about the Enlightened Leadership Program at MIU. Although higher education was not on his mind, he felt compelled to pursue it. He applied, got accepted, and a few weeks later arrived on campus.

“It’s been amazing,” he said. “For the first time in my life, I feel fulfilled by my education and the knowledge I am learning.” Dylan in majoring in a new track, Enlightened Leadership, which aims to train students for leadership roles in the TM organization by offering courses in Maharishi Vedic Science℠, management, and business.

With friends during the TM-Sidhi course

Last winter Dylan also completed the TM®-Sidhi program and has enjoyed attending the group practice in the Golden Domes. In his free time Dylan studies Mandarin and wants to be able to teach the TM technique in both English and Mandarin.

Kendra Morrison — Finding Inspiration in Community

by Jeff Whitten | Apr 18, 2022 | Achievements, Excluded from search, MIU News

April 18, 2022 • ISSUE 619

Kendra Morrison

Finding Inspiration in Community

MIU film student Kendra Morrison grew up in Daytona, Florida. Her interest in photography developed early in childhood and manifested in making home movies with her siblings. In her senior year of high school she decided to become a filmmaker. She has studied cinematography on her own and learned graphic design through an internship.

When she saw an ad for MIU, she became intrigued by the film department and the Transcendental Meditation® program. She joined the online Cinematic Arts and New Media program in the summer of 2020 and moved to campus six months later.

Acting as the talent in the Film Equipment Mastery class

“It’s great to have all the resources, time, and people to work with on your projects,” she said. “Everything we need is available to make a movie.” Kendra has already made several experimental short films, including a music video.

Kendra enjoys trying her hand at various other forms of media, including graphic design and digital music production. She also loves collaborating with classmates and people from the Fairfield creative community. “I like doing film because I want to empower people and build communities,” she said.

Getting ready to shoot a short film last summer

The Transcendental Meditation technique has helped Kendra find inner peace and balance in life. “TM helps me remember that everything is all right, and it keeps my head clear so I am more open to inspiration.”

Kendra is now focusing on practicing her screenwriting skills while working on several story ideas in various genres, such as Western, television, and mockumentary. She gathers inspiration from the people she meets, as well as from her family history. “I like to develop characters first and let the action emerge from the characters,” she said. Kendra also wants to make more music videos with local artists and return to her childhood hobby of songwriting.

Chris Kein — Passion for Learning and Mentoring

by Jeff Whitten | Apr 11, 2022 | Achievements, Excluded from search, MIU News

April 11, 2022 • ISSUE 618

Chris Kein

Passion for Learning and Mentoring

MIU alumnus Chris Kein is the director of Information Systems and Technology at AITACS, an international IT service company, where he oversees business development, delivery, and new product development. His job involves traveling in North America in search of new projects, clients, and talent.

A native of Singapore, Chris earned his MBA from the University of Missouri and started his first IT company in 1997. Since then he has worked for various IT companies in a variety of leadership roles in the US and Southeast Asia.

Among Chris’s passions are lifelong learning and self-improvement, and he strives to stay up to date in his field by taking courses and earning new certifications. In 2008 he decided to get his second MBA to “upgrade his skillset.”

With his colleagues at AITACS

As a result of his interest in personal development he had known about Maharishi and the Transcendental Meditation® technique, so he decided to enroll in MIU’s MBA in Accounting Program. He learned the TM® and TM-Sidhi® programs and enjoyed his stay in Fairfield.

“When you are getting older, you experience more pressure in life,” he said. “I notice how TM reduces stress and anxiety and improves relationships with co-workers. It has also increased my job satisfaction, performance, and productivity.”

Planting a tree with the prime minister of Singapore

Chris is also passionate about training and mentoring young graduates. Over his career he has recruited dozens of people out of college and helped them integrate into their work environment and grow their careers. He has continued to nurture his relationships with his mentees as they moved up to more senior positions.

“I try to learn from other people, and I get great ideas from young people from different cultures,” he said. “It improves what I am doing.”

Chris believes in living a contented life and creating a positive impact not only for himself but for others.

Dileep Krishnamoorthy — Promoting ComPro Through Photography

by Jeff Whitten | Mar 21, 2022 | Achievements, Excluded from search, MIU News

March 21, 2022 • ISSUE 615

Dileep Krishnamoorthy

Promoting ComPro Through Photography

MIU alumnus Dileep Krishnamoorthy grew up in a village in Tamil Nadu, India. After earning a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Sree Sakthi Engineering College in Tamil Nadu, he wanted to find a job and continue studying to improve himself.

He heard about MIU from his uncle who worked closely with Maharishi for decades. The MBA program appealed to him, as it allowed him to have an internship position at MIU while studying. Dileep enrolled in 2014 and began his internship in the ComPro Department as assistant network administrator.

Dileep with the ComPro Admissions team in 2021

Dileep felt at home on campus, especially after he connected with ComPro faculty member Renuka Mohanraj and her family, who came from the same area Dileep did and welcomed him into their home.

After graduating from the three-year MBA program, Dileep enrolled in the part-time MA in Consciousness and Human Potential Program. At the same time, he began working with the ComPro marketing team. During his time at MIU he developed an interest in photography and filmmaking and started making videos to promote the department under the guidance of his supervisor, Craig Shaw.

Making a promo video for ComPro with administrative director Elaine Guthrie

Dileep says that through his MBA courses he improved his communication skills, personal financial practices, and even his eating habits. In 2015 he won second place in a mediation tournament hosted by the University of Wisconsin.

The MIU mediation team with mediation coach Professor Vicki Alexander Herriott at the University of Wisconsin in 2015

“Consciousness-Based education not only provided me with the knowledge of business and the human physiology, but also gave me a better understanding of my life in general,” he said. “I have developed a sense of connection with people around me, and a feeling that we all are one and the same.”

Dileep has returned to India and now works remotely doing Internet marketing, photo and video editing, and covering the previously unstaffed and highly popular ComPro website daytime live chat for his time zone, which has resulted in an increase in online applications.

One of Dileep’s photos taken in Fairfield

Roberto Elee Torres — The Art of Daily Ritu

by Jeff Whitten | Mar 14, 2022 | Achievements, Excluded from search, MIU News

March 14, 2022 • ISSUE 614

Roberto Elee Torres

The Art of Daily Ritual

Roberto Elee Torres is a student in MIU’s low-residency MFA program and works as the administrator for the art department. Fairfield residents have seen Elee showcase his designs at the EcoJam fashion shows, perform with some of the local dance and theater groups, and sell his pastries at the farmers market.

Elee grew up in Mexico and was living in the Midwest when he heard about MIU from a student friend. Elee was impressed with his friend’s increased sense of fulfillment and positive attitude and decided to apply to MIU. Although Elee always enjoyed making art, he didn’t know how to become an artist. So when he enrolled at MIU in 2007, he took courses in Maharishi AyurVeda℠ and sustainable living.

Wearing his costume design at the 2017 EcoJam fashion show

“I kept getting feedback from everyone around me that my way of expression was artistic, and that made me curious,” he said. “I took some classes at the art department and never left; I found myself there.” Outside school he thrived in the local performing and art scenes.

Elee has also benefited from his practice of the Transcendental Meditation® technique and found it helpful in reducing his anxiety. “TM offers me a chance to reset myself during the day and come out more refreshed,” he said.

Sculpture by Elee

Sculpture by Elee

Last fall he joined the new low-residency MFA program which allows him to focus on making artwork while still working for the department. “It’s helpful to be in the MFA program because I can bounce things off other artists, and the environment is very conducive to creativity and artistic refinement,” said Elee.

Elee loves working with recycled materials and is focusing on creating mixed media sculptures. He is interested in exploring the domestic environment and how everyday activities and rituals can create happiness and fulfillment.

Denise Cagley-Jefferson Bringing Regenerative Farming to Jamaica

by Jeff Whitten | Feb 7, 2022 | Achievements, Excluded from search, MIU News

February 7, 2022 • ISSUE 609

Denise Cagley-Jefferson

Bringing Regenerative Farming to Jamaica

MIU student Denise Cagley-Jefferson got her first taste of volunteering when she accompanied her mother to the local soup kitchen in Waterloo, Iowa. That experience, Denise said, shaped her future and led her on a service-oriented career path.

For 25 years she has worked in non-profit management, international development, and humanitarian assistance with organizations such as Volunteers of America and the Peace Corps. For the past five years, she has coordinated international humanitarian efforts for USAID in war-torn and disaster areas, including Syria and Venezuela.

In Samoa in 2011 at the 50th anniversary celebration of the Peace Corps with staff and former Samoan Prime Minister Malielegaoi (center) and former US ambassador David Huebner (third from right)

In 2004 Denise founded an NGO in the rural mountains of Jamaica and established two health and educational resource centers, serving five villages. In 2020 she purchased a small farm in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica and now splits her time between her farm and her home in Atlanta, Georgia.

With counselors of the Blue Mountain Project’s summer camp in 2019

Denise is also a yoga teacher and has known about MIU and its Consciousness-Based℠ approach to education for a long time. After purchasing her land, she wanted to learn about becoming a farmer. When searching online, she discovered MIU’s new online master’s in Regenerative Organic Agriculture Program and applied the same day.

She learned the Transcendental Meditation® technique in Jamaica and found it helpful in her sometimes stressful job. “I have noticed that I have more calmness in conflict and in tense situations,” she said. “I am not getting emotionally affected.”

Through her classes at MIU, Denise has had the opportunity to learn more about the tropical fruits in her orchard, and met a farmer in Florida who volunteered to mentor her. She has also applied for a fall internship with the Rodale Institute.

Planting fruit trees on her farm in Jamaica

Her orchard already has a variety of fruits and vegetables, including avocados, plantains, papayas, mangos, and bananas. She hopes to transition into full-time farming in the future and help educate local farmers about regenerative organic practices.

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