Maureen McIver MA ’17 has been teaching children and is planning on opening a homebirth and wellness community center.

What are you currently up to?

I had a delightful spring teaching 18 kindergartners their reading, writing, and social skills. Covid arrived mid-March, and with it the closure of Maryland schools. Because there was no possibility of working or earning, I thought I should use this unprecedented time and opportunity to study. I decided to complete the CEUs and applications needed to recertify as a Midwife, which allows me to once again take up the work I formerly did as a Certified Professional Midwife. I expect to complete that involved process soon, and open a homebirth practice and wellness community center in the coming year.

How have you applied what you learned at DRBU to what you are currently doing?

It is always beneficial to others (and fun) to teach people how they can overcome the challenges life presents to them by examining their own perception of the events in order to shift perspectives. Letting them know they have options about how they mentally respond to a situation, and giving them applicable techniques to navigate their own emotions, is quite empowering to them.

What is a favorite pastime / memory from your time at DRBU?

One of my favorite recollections about being at DRBU is how wonderful it was to live in community with so many goodhearted and striving individuals who practice living cooperatively and harmoniously, even as challenges to that ideal also naturally exist. It is lovely to be in the midst of a community that is kind and positively oriented, and such places are rare to find, especially in University settings.

Insights, advice, and/or words of wisdom you’d like to share with new/current students:

Seek your highest truth. Consider thoughtfully all the various perspectives carefully. Seek the wisdom of elders. Sincerely try the practices. Dive into this opportunity to study and practice. Appreciate the diversity. Be kind. Find your path and walk it.