MIU student Dr. Manisha Mittal grew up in India in a family of doctors. Watching her parents practice medicine inspired her to follow in their footsteps and study Western medicine. While in medical school, she lost her brother in an accident, which furthered her desire to practice medicine. At the same time, her experience of grief propelled her on a spiritual journey to find the meaning of life.

Manisha completed her internal medicine residency at Columbia University Hospitals and her fellowship training in rheumatology at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. While studying in Iowa City, she and her husband, who is a gastroenterologist, learned the Transcendental Meditation® technique. “After learning TM, I felt a lot of balance in my life, and I also wanted to learn Vedic knowledge,” said Manisha.

Manisha is now completing her final year of the online MS in Maharishi AyurVeda and Integrative Medicine program. “It’s a wonderful program,” she said. “It’s very thorough and complements my Western medical training.”

Manisha lives in California and runs the Moksha Holistic Health Center with her family. She provides integrative health care for rheumatology patients and offers consultations and workshops in ayurvedic diet and lifestyle. She also co-hosts a wellness segment on the local news program Central Valley Today.

Using ayurvedic spices for health and digestion is one of the topics Manisha likes to talk about, and she grows her own herbs and spices, including turmeric. When her patients complained about the bitter taste of turmeric, she and her children came up with the idea of incorporating it in ice cream. She partnered with a local organic dairy farm, designed the labels and the packaging, and started manufacturing her Golden Ice-Spice ice cream.

Manisha is passionate about integrating Western medicine with Ayurveda, emphasizing the role of consciousness in maintaining a balanced life. She is currently writing a book about the connection of spirituality and medicine that will include simple everyday practices for healing, empowerment, and self-realization.

Emily Newman first enrolled in higher education in 2005 at the University of Hawaii. However, the school’s requirement to select a major didn’t accommodate the diversity of her interests, ranging from sustainability and horticulture to psychology and creative writing, so she left in 2008.

During the next ten years Emily worked in a variety of fields, including farming, coaching gymnastics, and event production. For the past six years she has worked as a stagehand for musical, corporate, and theatrical events in San Francisco and in her home town of Irvine, California. She has also traveled in South and Central America.

Emily had known about MIU from friends who grew up in Fairfield. She even visited Fairfield in 2012 and learned the Transcendental Meditation® technique in 2018. When she decided to finish her undergraduate degree, she came across MIU’s online Applied Arts and Sciences Program. She was excited about the focus on self-exploration and the variety of classes offered through the interdisciplinary program, so she enrolled in January 2019.

Emily found her experience of online education surprisingly satisfying. “I have never experienced so much enthusiasm and support from my teachers during class,” she said. She enjoyed getting to know her classmates from all over the world through live discussions and chat forums.

She also appreciated the teachers’ support for her TM® practice in the form of group meditations and meditation checkups. “I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish what I did without learning TM,” said Emily. “My stress and anxiety didn’t distract me, and it was easy to stay focused and level-headed.”

Emily also became interested in Maharishi AyurVeda®, and the knowledge she gained in her classes helped her create a daily routine that supported her studies. She graduated in December 2020 and is now considering a master’s in Maharishi AyurVeda and Integrative Medicine.

MIU alumnus Michael T. Moore was on his way to becoming a professional pilot, studying at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida. The year was 1971, and Michael just learned the Transcendental Meditation® technique. When he heard about the brand new Maharishi International University in Santa Barbara, California, he packed up his bags and transferred. When MIU moved to Fairfield in 1974, Michael relocated as well.

Michael first earned a BA in interdisciplinary studies followed by an MA in higher education administration and an MBA from MIU. He worked in marketing for several Fairfield companies, including Maharishi Ayurveda Products International and USA Global Link.

Michael feels fortunate to be among the first graduates of MIU. “What I got from MIU was a feeling of confidence, that you can do anything if you put your attention on it,” he said.

For the past 15 years, Michael has worked in the area of renewable energy, managing projects and the acquisition of land for both wind and solar installations. He has worked with landowners, land agents, environmental specialists, and engineers in 13 states and two provinces in Canada. He is proud of having saved dozens of family farms by providing them with extra income for the use of their land, and his projects currently light up some 1.5 million homes.

Nowadays Michael spends much of his time working with the Southeast Iowa Sierra Club on their various projects to make Fairfield more sustainable. He is heading the chapter’s effort to help Fairfield transition to 100 percent renewable energy. He has been coordinating with MIU and the City of Fairfield and approaching local businesses and organizations for support.

“We are looking at ways to see how the city can be powered by solar energy,” said Michael. “I would like to see that happen in the next four years.”

Michael is also volunteering with the Alumni Association and MIU’s 50th anniversary celebration.