Request Info > Apply > Visit Us >

Collecting leaves for building compost

LaToya Crick was attending community college in her hometown of Freeport, Texas, when one day a friend told her about MIU. LaToya had been learning about healthy eating and living, so MIU’s offering of organic meals and the practice of the Transcendental Meditation technique appealed to her. She and her friend attended a Visitors Weekend and soon they both enrolled.

LaToya originally wanted to major in business or art; however, she was naturally drawn to taking Sustainable Living classes. “I had never before been so intrigued by the information that I was receiving,” she said. “I loved learning about microbiology, soil biology, and general living systems.” After taking the living soil class, she wanted to continue learning about composting, so during the summer she did an internship at MIU’s Soil Restoration and Research Lab. When the position of lab director became vacant the following year, she took on the job as her work-study position.

With the Soil Restoration and Research Lab team: Anxhela Coba, William Clark, and Alex Gabriel

LaToya enjoys connecting with the Fairfield community and helping people improve the quality of their soil through compost applications. After she graduates in June 2016, she plans to devote another year to the lab and continue serving the needs of the public in a more structured way.

Her experience in the lab has shown her the value of working within a community. In the long run, she hopes to create her own organization to help people live in harmony with their environment through sustainable practices such as soil biology and composting.

The practice of the TM technique played an important part in her discovery of her path. “TM helped me realize who I really was,” she said. “I am keeping in contact with the unboundedness in myself and it’s helping me stay grounded.”

Credit for this blog’s featured image goes to Cody Weber of Weber Photo.