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ITM STUDENT RECEIVES PRESIDENTIAL VOLUNTEER SERVICE AWARD
Thiagarajan Sugavanam (“Theo”) is a masters student in the Information Technology and Management program and expects to graduate at the end of this semester. For the past few years, he has put in a total of about 300 hours of volunteer work. For that, he was presented on February 25, 2014 with the gold level Presidential Volunteer Service Award pin by the Office of Diversity and Community Engagement at UT Dallas. He accomplished this while maintaining a very good grade point average.
Theo has volunteered extensively for non-profit organizations like Sastha Tamil Foundation (STF-Plano) and Ananda Marga, Dallas Region in their fundraising efforts to support social causes. A few of Ananda Marga’s wide-ranging services in which he has lent a helping hand are providing tornado relief activities in Granbury, Texas and supplies to flood victims in Uttarkhand, India. Theo taught yoga and meditation classes without charge to Granbury residents. Along with the trained teachers, I assist in teaching yoga at Trellis place, Richardson where the organization’s office is located). He saw that these meditation classes assisted addicts and prison inmates to free themselves of drugs and find peace in their lives. Theo has spoken to a person who found meditation helped lift this person out of the depths of depression.
Ananda Marga has global presence with such events as a seminar in Mexico, a summer retreat in Russia and meetings with experts like Southern Medhodist University Professor Ravi Batra on PROUT (Progressive Utilization Theory) all of which Theo participated and assisted.
“I provide my ideas to support the organization’s goals and objectives. Out of my interest to spread yoga and meditation to students, I founded the Asana and Meditation Yoga Club (AM Yoga Club), which is free to the University of Texas at Dallas students, faculty and staff members. It is open and free to all UTD. This can help students to maintain physical and mental health, reducing the stressors of exams and other causes.”
UTD congratulate Theo on this distinguished award and for his untiring efforts to help others.