by Livia Horváth | Apr 19, 2017 | Achievements
MBA student Latha Lakshmanan
Latha Lakshmanan enjoys the challenge of a fast-paced work environment and handling high-profile clients, but she found it difficult to balance her personal life with the demands of her job. “One of my main intentions coming to MUM was to have a routine and the discipline to take care of myself,” she said, “so when I go back into the work force, I will have those skills.”
With classmates and Professor Anil Maheshwari and guest lecturer Jim Bagnola
A native of Minneapolis, Latha earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of Minnesota, and another in accounting from Augsburg College in Minneapolis. She has worked in internal auditing, risk assessment, and regulatory compliance services for financial institutions and other industries.
In 2012 Latha saw an Oprah special on Fairfield and MUM, which inspired her to learn the Transcendental Meditation®technique. After several visits to Fairfield, she decided to enroll in the sustainable MBA Program in 2016.
With other presenters and organizers of the MBAA International Conference
Since learning the TM® technique, Latha has achieved a sense of calmness in the face of stressful situations. She has also learned to pay attention to life’s synchronicities that are helping her achieve her goals. She even started to document these events to reinforce their occurrence. “You can see that there is an organizing power in the universe,” said Latha.
Latha thrives in the project-based learning environment of the MBA Program, solving real-life problems. “When you are out in the field, the problems can be so different from what a classroom can cover,” she said. “You need to be able to think on the spot, address the different stakeholders, your own team, and the client. It’s a juggling act.”
Presenting her paper at the Midwest Business Administration Association (MBAA) International Conference in Chicago, March 2017
Last week Latha attended the Midwest Business Administration Association International Conference in Chicago to present a research paper she and a classmate wrote for a lean business process project. After graduating, Latha wants to return to consulting, adding sustainability and lean process improvement to her areas of expertise.
“Besides her strong intellectual acumen, outstanding organizational skills, and lofty ambitions, Latha is also fun-loving, likable, enthusiastic, and trustworthy,” said Sabita Sawhney, associate professor of management. “Latha’s greatest strength, in my estimation, is her insistence on developing all aspects of her personality, both head and heart.”
by Livia Horváth | Apr 18, 2017 | Achievements
BFA student Hannah Foster
When she was little, Hannah Foster wanted to become a veterinarian, a singer, and an artist. She worked for a vet for a few years, took college classes in zoology and wildlife studies, and dabbled in the performing arts. But ultimately she chose art over science and enrolled at MUM to pursue a BFA, a career she hopes can give her the most independence.
Modeling at the 2015 MUM Eco Jam
Hannah grew up outside St. Louis, Missouri, and learned about MUM from her sister Jada, who is an MUM alumna. At MUM Hannah discovered that creating art is part of her personal development process.
“I am interested in philosophy and spirituality, and art gives me an outlet to explore the nature of life and existence,” she said. “I like taking something abstract and trying to express it in physical limitations.”
At the wheel in a ceramics class
Hannah says that the practice of the Transcendental Meditation® technique has helped her to be less critical of her own creative work and instead adopt a grander view. “I practice twice a day, no matter what,” she said. “It’s a place that I know I can go to take time out, and it has helped me feel less anxious and more confident.”
Ceramics and painting are Hannah’s favorite media, and she often combines them into multimedia collages. She also enjoys teaching, and last summer she developed and taught a community ceramics class. As her work-study job, she manages the ceramics studio in the art department.
2670: A ceramic sculpture, 2016
“Hannah is inventive in the studio and excited about making art,” said Gyan Shrosbree, assistant professor of art. “She has a lot of promise as an artist: dedicated to her studio practice, balanced in her life and her demeanor, organized, and able to take advice and make it her own.”
During her previous semester, Hannah created a portfolio for graduate school, and two universities have offered her full scholarships. She will begin her MFA at Pennsylvania State University next fall.
by Livia Horváth | Apr 18, 2017 | Achievements
MBA student Kenny Januar
Indonesian student Kenny Januar grew up helping his father in his beverage manufacturing business. He never had a doubt that one day he too, would become a business owner, in spite of his high school counselors’ efforts to steer him towards the medical sciences.
Kenny attended Parahyangan Catholic University in Bandung, Indonesia, and graduated six months early with a bachelor’s degree in human resource management. During his senior year he attended a talk about MUM by alumnus Gde Brawishwara Putra, who talked about MUM. Kenny had aspirations to study in the US, so he visited the MUM website. He liked the idea of maintaining a balanced lifestyle while studying, so he applied to MUM’s sustainable MBA.
Kenny with his process improvement project paper co-authors, German Servente and Guo Ge
Now he appreciates the international community of students on campus and the ability to fit exercise into his daily routine. The practice of the Transcendental Meditation® technique also helps him stay balanced. “Usually I don’t rest at all besides sleeping,” said Kenny. “I always read or study. Now I have an extra 20 minutes to get rest and it helps clear my mind.”
Last fall Kenny took two courses in lean management, and the paper his team wrote about their process improvement project was selected for the Midwest Business Administration Association International Conference in Chicago this March.
With professor Sabita Sawhney and students in the process improvement class
“In and outside of class, Kenny utilizes the lean principles of ‘continuous improvement’ and ‘respect for people’,” said Sabita Sawhney, assistant professor of management. “He is a solid individual, possessing both the intellect and work ethic necessary to attain much future success.”
In addition to his school work, Kenny has been preparing for his Associate Professional in Human Resources certification so that he can find a job in the US in human resource management. After gaining
After a soccer game at MUM
some work experience, he plans to return to Indonesia and start his own business.
In his free time, Kenny likes to travel and learn languages. He is already proficient in four and currently learning Japanese. He is graduating in June at age 22, becoming one of the youngest MBA graduates.
by Livia Horváth | Apr 18, 2017 | Achievements
Monica at the Ourense International Film Festival, which is one of the 10 biggest film festivals in Spain
Brazilian filmmaker Monica Demes, who graduated from the David Lynch MFA in 2016, has been winning awards and gaining attention at international film festivals for the film she created while a student at MUM.
Her film, Lilith’s Awakening, won best director from the Iowa Motion Picture Association, best director from the Optical Theatre Festival in Rome, and best film and best director from Festival Boca do Inferno in São Paulo, Brazil.
On the set with cinematographer Gregor Kresal ’16 and actress Sophia Woodward
Lilith’s Awakening is a modern-day vampire story where the vampire is a symbol for women’s empowerment. The cast included MUM student Sophia Woodward as the protagonist and Brazilian pop singer Barbara Eugenia as Lilith. MFA student Gregor Kresal was the cinematographer. Monica gives much of the credit for her success to the David Lynch MFA.
With filmmaker David Lynch
“I had full support of Professor Dorothy Rompalske when I was working on the screenplay and on the editing, as well as from Michael Barnard, the director of the program,” said Monica. “And I had great psychological support from program co-founder Joanna Plafsky. Of course the advice from David Lynch was also great.”
Being interviewed on CNN about Lilith’s Awakening
In spite of being a student film made with a very low budget, Lilith’s Awakening has been competing among the first line of professional horror and art films. Monica hopes to find distribution for the film after making the 2017 film festival rounds.
Monica also appreciates the personal growth she experienced while she was a student at MUM. “MUM had a great impact on my life, not only because I love Fairfield and the film reflects the love I felt for the Midwest, but also because Transcendental Meditation helped me in my creative process and in making me feel confident that I would accomplish my goal,” she said.
Monica is currently working on two screenplays – both are thrillers with women protagonists.
