1. Center for Spiritual Inquiry and Integral Education
Director, R. Michael Fisher, Ph.D.
http://csiie.org
To Whom it May Concern, Apr. 16, 2012
I am writing on behalf of Anthony Graham and his volunteer work at Gaia House
Interfaith Center, located on the Southern Illinois University Campus, 913 S. Illinois Ave.,
Carbondale.
Mr. Graham approached our organization in the semesters of 2010, when I was
working at Gaia House as Director of the Center for Spiritual Inquiry and Integral
Education. My task was to supervise Gaia House interns.
Of all the interns I have supervised at Gaia House in the two and a half years
serving there, Mr. Graham was the most mature student, not merely in age, but in his
deportment as a person and professional. He came to work and he was a committed
member of our organization in the limited amount of time he offered. He showed up on
time, and he offered courteous and attentive care to our clients. His most important task
for us was to put serve as a host to one of our courses. This included creating a space
where learners would feel welcome and comfortable. He also attended and participated
in learning. I taught this 9 week course "Living Well With Uncertainty: An Integral
Future's View."
However, most of all, I was impressed when Mr. Graham and I had several
planning conversations. He was obviously someone who was doing a lot of
extracurricular activity, and his schedule was overflowing, yet he always gave his best
and attended to what I was saying, and he accommodated needs our organization had
into his schedule. This showed me he was operating with the intention to be of service
despite his own needs. This is a rare trait in interns and I would suggest with young
people in university overall.
His specific interests in integrating both secular, religious and other spiritual
orientations to the world, was most commendable. I experienced him as open-minded
and very level-headed, with no agenda that he was trying to lay on others. This
convinced me of this ethical dedication to serving communities of all kinds, and in our
troubled and conflicted world of differences, Mr. Graham is exactly the kind of new
leader and facilitator we need. I highly recommend him based on this integrity I
experienced in his personhood.
Sincerely, -R. Michael Fisher