Our Program

Kshama is an Education for Life specialist, and has spent the last decade exploring the field of education and consciousness. She has taught students K-12, mentored students & teachers, and developed local and international youth and family programs that incorporate principles of meditation, yoga, and wellbeing in daily life. Living abroad as a child, and then attending our sister school in Nevada City, Kshama’s early life sparked in her a passion for travel and intercultural connection. It also inspired a commitment to holding service as a guiding principle in her life. Kshama’s educational background is in Spanish, Latin American Literature, Sociology, and Education. She completed her specialization training through Education for Life International on site at Living Wisdom School of Palo Alto. Kshama is passionate about offering young people an educational experience that activates their enthusiasm for life, nurtures their unique interests and abilities, and deepens their sense of self-understanding and connection with the world.

Gary is the Business Administrator & President of the Board of Directors for Living Wisdom School (TK-12). As the former middle school teacher extraordinaire and alumni parent, Gary carries a deep understanding of the guiding principles of our Education for Life philosophy and the practical needs of the TK-12th grade Living Wisdom programs. Gary supports the school through a multi-faceted administrative role. He advises students, faculty, families, & community members and coordinates all things financial including tuition payments, salaries, and overall finances. 

Hazemach has taught mathematics, literature, and physical education at Living Wisdom High School since 2019. He is a Living Wisdom School alumnus who began to discover a passion for teaching at the Karate and Fitness Place after he became a junior black belt at 11-years-old. After three years at Woodside Priory High School, he chose to begin college early at Bard College at Simon’s Rock, where he developed an interest in the humanities while studying advanced mathematics. After receiving his Associate of Arts with distinction, at 18-years-old he chose to travel to Germany to seek mentorship in mathematics research. Three years later, he received his Master of Science in Mathematics from Jacobs University with a thesis on the topological characterization of holomorphic dynamical systems, and began research work in mathematics. During this time, he discovered a prevailing interest in the history, popular communication, and pedagogy of science, so Hazemach chose to pursue teaching as a profession, and returned to Palo Alto to contribute to the Education for Life movement. He pursues further development in various disciplines, including mathematics, physics, philosophy and history of science, literature, literary criticism, linguistics, religion, Karate, piano, yoga, and meditation.

Growing up, Mandana's Father's passion for history shifted her nightly storytelling routine from children’s fairytales to historical narratives. She loved them! Listening to these Iranian myths increased her love for country sense of self. Her home contained a large library full of books about important historical figures from all around the world. Exploring this collection familiarized Mandana with characters such as Napoleon, Gandhi, and Nader Shah, as well as crucial historical events such as the French Revolution. She loved spending time reading those books and getting lost in the stories. Always curious about the world around her, Mandana would ask many questions. As a teacher, she now is inspired to help other young people cultivate curiosity and seek understanding about the world and themselves. She studied photography in university and earned a B.A in videography and video editing. Additionally, Mandana holds a masters degree in mass communication journalism. She has experience as a social science research assistant, as well as in tutoring K-12th grade students. Her goal in life is to help people know and understand themselves and find what their path is to experience greater happiness.

Keshava brings a wide array of experience to his teaching. A Living Wisdom School alumni, he takes the principles of Education for Life to heart and lives them continually in his daily life. A lifelong musician and performing artist, he is the winner and nominee of numerous awards for music and theater. After graduating with a degree in performing arts, Keshava worked in the Los Angeles film industry as an actor, musician, writer, stuntman, and assistant stunt-coordinator. Simultaneously he found himself drawn into the study of anatomy, physiology, and nutritional science through a career in personal training. He studied and worked closely with one of the leading experts in spinal health and athletic performance and now enjoys teaching biology. Keshava has taught philosophy, yoga, and meditation since 2014 throughout America and India, and is a practicing Vedic astrologer under one of America’s best regarded practitioners. His passion lies in inspiring students to see every subject as a window to self-discovery and inspiration. He continues his scientific, musical, and philosophical education with a constant sense of awe and is dedicated to imparting that wonderment to his students. 

Shanti’s educational background is rooted in the study of education, psychology, Spanish, and youth empowerment. She holds a master’s degree in East West Psychology. For most of her schooling, she went through and graduated from the Living Wisdom School system in Nevada City, CA where she developed a love and enthusiasm for learning and a deep desire to serve others. She loves to travel and has so far been to 17 countries, all of which have expanded her perspective and opened her heart to the goodness in the world and in each person. During Shanti’s first year of college, she participated in a gap year program through Naropa University. It was a year of travel, service projects, hands-on learning, retreats, and the opportunity to follow one's inspiration. She is also a trained yoga teacher, Sharing Nature facilitator, and she enjoys backpacking in nature, playing music, engaging conversations, meditation and yoga, reading, karate, dance, and adventures of all kinds. Shanti's passion is to support youth, and especially teens, with self-discovery and empowerment — overall, helping them to become their highest potential. Her enthusiasm for this dream has manifested as an annual summer camp for teens called Inner Adventure Camp– focused on self-discovery, empowerment, community, creativity, adventure, and coming of age. As part of the Living Wisdom community, Shanti is inspired, excited, and grateful to be a part of this amazing school and to give back to an education system that left an indelible mark on her life.

Bruno began his guitar studies at the age of ten with his father. As a versatile musician, his experience encompasses rock/pop, jazz, and classical guitar. He has traveled extensively to the Spanish cities of Malaga and Sevilla, where he studied flamenco guitar. Bruno’s performance experience includes solo and ensemble performances at both private and public events throughout California since the early 2000s. He has participated in masterclasses with artist such as the Beijing Guitar Duo, Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, Alvaro Pierri, and Adam Del Monte. Bruno is also a recipient of awards and scholarships including the Santa Barbara Musicians Union Award 2006, Santa Barbara's La Fair/Rokoff/Gilbert Fund Scholarship 2007, and most recently the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Scholarship where he attended 2014-2016. Bruno graduated from San Francisco State University in 2014 with a B.M. in music performance studying under Lawrence Ferrara, and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in 2016 where he received his M.M. in music performance studying with world-renowned composer and performer Sergio Assad. A dedicated educator, Bruno enjoys working with students of all levels and backgrounds.

Devyani grew up in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. She attended Calcutta University, earning a Bachelor’s in Commerce. Alongside high school and college, Devyani pursued French language studies for five years at The Alliance Française (French Ministry of Education) and achieved her ‘Diplôme de Langue’, ‘Certificat Pratique de Français Commercial et Economique’, as well as ‘Diplôme Supérieur’. She taught French at The Rama Krishna Mission School of Languages, Kolkata, before moving to Chandigarh, India. There, she worked as a French professor at The Alliance Fraçaise ‘Le Corbusier’ de Chandigarh. She obtained her French teaching credentials from universities in France. After moving to the USA in 2012, Devyani has since taught at various schools in the Bay Area, and tutored innumerable students. Devyani is a linguist and, in addition to French, she is also well-versed in English, Hindi, Gujarati, Punjabi, and Bengali. Spanish and German have also been a focus of her studies. In addition to her love of language, Devyani is also a trained musician. Since she was a child she has played the sitar, a stringed instrument, and has performed at innumerable concerts and stage shows. She is a trained singer and holds diplomas in sitar and Indian classical vocal from Pracheen Kala Kendra, India. Finally, Devyani is a student of meditation and yoga. She and her husband are also budding entrepreneurs and are parents to two amazing kids.

Dejana earned her Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Cape Town, South Africa, followed by a post-doctorate at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa. Later, she was part of the team that produced research for GSK (London) in one of their satellite labs at The University of Cape Town. She has published her work in both European and American peer-reviewed journals. The focus of Dejana’s work was in the field of Supramolecular Chemistry and more specifically polymorphism and enclathration of both industrial and pharmaceutical compounds. During the same period, she tutored, taught, and demonstrated both coursework and laboratory techniques for various college level chemistry courses and managed the crystallography lab among other things. 

Nirmal holds a Ph.D. in genetics and molecular biology from University College London, Institute of Neurology. He is currently a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University School of Medicine, and an associate lecturer in human biosciences at University of Northampton. In 2012, Nirmal received problem-based learning (PBL) tutor training from St. George’s University of London, where he served as a tutor for medical students for 7 years. Nirmal’s training there involved engaging students in solving clinical-based problems and using self-directed research to make a diagnosis. He was also a laboratory demonstrator, marked BSc dissertations and summative MCQs/SAQs, and contributed to standard-setting for medical degree assessments using the Angoff method. Prior to that, Nirmal was a science and maths classroom teacher at Oxford International College in China. While there, he also offered extracurricular guitar lessons and served as a teacher-in-residence to manage boarding house duties.

Hrishi is an experienced software engineer, and has been working across various roles and countries since 2001. He graduated from the
University of Pune in 2001, and followed with a Master's degree from the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm in 2006, and has been in
the Bay Area since 2008.

Jessica Chermak is an Independent College Counselor with over a decade of experience in academia and helping students navigate the college admissions process. She also spent four years conducting research at University of Colorado Boulder’s Institute of Behavioral Science, and the prior two years working as an Operations Research Analyst at White Sands Missile Range. Jessica graduated from Chapman University with a BA in Psychology, and from University of Denver with an MA in Forensic Psychology. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), and a Professional Member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA). In her spare time, Jessica enjoys reading mystery novels, cycling, trail running, hiking, and watching her sweet puppy stare out the window all day. She is passionate about helping students discover post-secondary options that are a great fit socially, academically, and financially, and is motivated by the incredible growth she has seen in her students as they navigate the college admissions process.

Lakshmi LaPine has taught in public education for more than a decade, both at the middle school and high school levels. She currently holds a position as an English teacher at a local high school. Throughout her professional career in education, Lakshmi has fostered a love for social justice, mindfulness practices in academia, and community building. Her professional emphasis on these aspects of education have offered many opportunities to work with students in dynamic and innovative ways, both in the classroom and in her role as a conflict mediator. Lakshmi has worked with a number of programs in her teaching career that support academic growth and challenge students to strive toward success, include: AVID, SAT/PSAT preparatory classes, summer travel programs for students, athletic coaching, and restorative justice practices. Working as a consultant for Living Wisdom High School, Lakshmi integrates her background in public education with her understanding and implementation of Education for Life practices. Lakshmi received her undergraduate degree (English Literature) and teaching credential (Single-subject, English) from University of Redlands. She holds a masters degree in Educational Leadership and Social Justice, as well as an administrative credential, from CSUEB.