Adjunct Professor/Doctoral Candidate
California State University San Bernardino
Sailesh is a doctoral candidate at CSUSB focusing on Higher Education Leadership and has been selected as one of two Holmes Scholars from Cohort 16. Sailesh Maharjan has been an adjunct professor at California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB) since 2017 and Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) trainer and coordinator for the California State University Chancellor's Office. He is experienced in mindfulness meditation and delivers talks on Buddhist Philosophy focused on applying Buddhism in everyday life. He is a CSU Faculty Fellow for Student Mental Health and Wellbeing.
Sailesh Maharjan was born in Kathmandu, Nepal. He was ordained as Dhammapala, a Theravadin Buddhist monk, at 12 and lived in various monasteries across Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the United States for 16 years. In 2011, he was awarded the Royal Pandita Award in Sri Lanka, the most prestigious award honoring an individual's mastery of four specific subjects: Pali, Sanskrit, Sinhala, and Buddhist studies. After completing his bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, he moved to California in 2012. He began serving as a mindfulness meditation teacher and spiritual guide for adults and children.
Maharjan promotes the importance of MHFA skills for faculty and other professionals on CSU campuses to confidently respond to mental health challenges relevant to students and the university community.
As a professor, he incorporates modern technology and novel evidence-based tools in his classes. He intends to use technology and research findings to address student mental health challenges, equitable assessment tools, student readiness, resource accessibility, and inclusiveness in higher education. He also focuses on incorporating mindfulness in higher education to develop programs to bolster faculty success in delivering quality education. Sailesh plans to use his doctoral training to identify problems and implement solutions within and beyond the college, county, and state education system.
(SA39)Mental Health First Aid: By Faculty for Faculty
Saturday, February 17, 2024
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM MST