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FAIRFIELD – Maharishi School in Fairfield attracts students from all over the world.

How do people in other countries even hear about a small school in rural Iowa, let alone agree to send their children there? As Maharishi School’s Head of School Richard Beall has shown, it’s through personal relationships established by meeting the students and parents face to face.

For the last 15 years, Beall has traveled to other countries to recruit students and meet with the parents of enrolled students, eager to learn how their child is doing thousands of miles from home. In March, Beall returned from another of these trips, this time visiting parents of 20 students across nine cities in China, Vietnam and South Korea. Beall also met with prospective students and with study-abroad recruiting agencies in these countries.

“When I meet with parents of our current students, I want to express our appreciation and to answer any questions they have, like describing the college application process in the U.S.,” Beall said. “If you take a country like China, their entire college admission process is based on one two-day test. It’s incredibly stressful.”

VIETNAM

After a 30-hour trip that took him from Denver to Tokyo to Ho Chi Minh City, Beall’s first stop was Vietnam, where he met with the parents of current Maharishi School student Lam Do (grade 10) and Class of 2024 student Jessie Do. He said they dined at a Buddhist vegetarian restaurant, and then toured the family’s factory, where they repurpose used cooking oil and animal tallow for biofuels.

“Guys go around on scooters and pick up (used cooking oil) from restaurants, and they do this at 10,000 places in Vietnam,” Beall said. “They have pioneered an exceptional example of sustainability in a respectful work environment, which Mr. Do has shared with our seniors’ Global Solutions class via Zoom and in person.”

Beall said Ho Chi Minh City is a place that bustles with traffic around the clock, where “every crack between cars is jammed with scooters.” He visited a promenade showcasing the country’s 50 th Anniversary of Independence, along with the Lunar New Year of the Snake.

“The food was fantastic and the people were welcoming and gracious,” Beall said about his trip to Vietnam.

CHINA

Beall’s next stop was China, where he visited the city of Shenzhen and the parents of Maharishi School students and twins Camille and Clary Jiang.

“When I first visited China, I was going to go to this city but I couldn’t find it on the map,” Beall said about an earlier trip to Shenzhen. “I was using an Atlas from 1990, and Shenzhen was just a fishing village then. Now it has a population of 17 million people and is one of the great cities of the world.”

Beall said he enjoyed meeting Camille and Clary’s parents, noting that the father runs an Artificial Intelligence company.

“They loaded me with suitcases of gifts,” he said. “They were really generous and thoughtful.”

Maharishi School’s reputation as an international magnet school can now claim multiple generations of foreign students. Beall said one dad he met came to Maharishi School as an elementary student, who then came back for his undergrad at Maharishi International University, and now years later enrolled his son as a student at Maharishi School.

Beall said one of the things he noticed about China was the prevalence of electric vehicles, and estimated they constitute about 60 percent of all vehicles on the road in the major cities. Electric vehicles can be identified by their green license plates. He said that air pollution, which was a problem during earlier visits, has gotten better.

“Once I was in Beijing and went to the top floor of a building, and couldn’t see across the street. That’s how bad the smog was,” he said. “It was a little bit that way in Shanghai, and they still have bad air days, but it’s much better.”

Beall said China feels very modern with its high-speed trains that can go over 200 miles per hour. He rode on those a few times and described the experience as “feeling like we were floating.”

There were times when Beall felt like he was back in the U.S. since he saw so many familiar brands like Starbucks, KFC, Pizza Hut, Burger King and McDonald’s.

“And 7/11 is everywhere in Korea,” he said.

Beall is a vegetarian, and he said there was never a shortage of vegetarian options in the cities he visited.

“My hosts were very accommodating, and I rarely encountered something I wasn’t attracted to,” he said. “They have so many mushrooms that are prepared in appealing ways, plus lots of grains, tofu and noodles.”

SOUTH KOREA

Beall’s final stop was South Korea. He described the capital city of Seoul as impressive and futuristic, remarking on its huge monitors and beautiful shops. He got to experience Koreans’ commitment to education up-close and personal. After finishing a presentation at 3:30 p.m., he noticed that the downtown filled with school children. They were coming for their afternoon cram school that lasts from 4-7 p.m. with just two five-minute breaks. Another group of cram school students followed them from 7-10 p.m.

“The streets are jammed at 10:30 at night with parents who are picking up their kids from cram school,” he said. “The expectations for education are very high and pressured in these countries. That’s one of the reasons they want their kids to come to the U.S. Kids there have to stop doing extracurriculars because they have to devote so much time to the national exam.”

REFLECTIONS

Maharishi School has 26 international boarding students, plus two who are living with a host family in town and another family who has relocated to Fairfield. Beall said that he was glad he was able to meet with the parents of 20 of these students, so the vast majority.

“One of my main takeaways is that these are wonderful people who have the same cares, concerns and love for their kids that our families do here,” he said. “They want their [children] to get an education that includes other activities because they know what pressure is. They chose us because they value our practices like meditation and yoga.”

Maharishi School had planned to expand its boarding program on the lower floor of Hildenbrand Hall, but that expansion has been put on hold since international enrollment has leveled off. Beall said a smaller percentage of prospective students who were offered a spot are taking it, and listed concerns about securing a visa as one of the obstacles.

Beall said he’s proud of the contributions these international students have made to the school and the community. Maharishi School students Ruimin Luo, Bowen Zhang and Han Wang are some of the top players on the FHS tennis team.