Dara Stepanek is an educator and community leader who graduated from Cal Poly with a Mathematics Major, Physics Minor, and Teaching Credential. She taught math at Central Coast New Tech High School for 6 years, where she served as the club advisor for the Social Justice League, a group of students who worked to educate, activate, and lead our communities into a world that is just for all. Dara enjoys time with her son and now manages operations for her family business, Bliss Cafe, to promote and serve locally grown vegan, organic cuisine. She recently became a Climate Reality Leader and is excited to graduate in March 2020 as an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach. Her hope for this Enrichment Program is to reinvigorate our democracy by empowering students to be global citizens. Always looking for innovative ideas within the broad spectrum of educational possibilities, Dara is very excited to be a part of Peace Academy’s team and vision.

Jennah Elghandour is entering her 4th-year Materials Engineering major at UCLA. Throughout her high school career, Jennah worked a few jobs along with doing nanotechnology research at Cal Poly State University. All her jobs and volunteer work have included kids. She worked at Central Coast Gymnastics for 2 years, worked at the Bright Life Playschool in San Luis Obispo, was a teacher at the first Peace Academy summer camp, volunteered at the Boys and Girls Club, and volunteered with a program called Get on the Bus, all before leaving for college. 

At UCLA, Jennah has been working on Materials Engineering research with one of her professors and plans to continue this work through her last year at UCLA. She is currently the university’s co-Project Director of Academic, Mentorship, and Professional Development. This year she was able to implement a new program within the project that connects alumni with undergraduates to help them with their career paths.

Beela Elghandour is a graduating senior with a Biochemistry degree at UCLA, pursuing a career in Dentistry. In high school and college, Beela has been very active in her community, taking part in several community service programs and clubs. She also took part in nanoparticle research at Cal Poly State University. Beela has had experience working with kids, through being a gymnastics coach at Central Coast Gymnastics, working at Bright Life Playschool, and being a teacher and coordinator for Peace Academy’s first summer program.

At UCLA Beela has been on the committee for the Academic, Mentorship and Professional Development Project. She is a volunteer for the UMMA Volunteer Project, Global Medical Training in the Dominican Republic, and Food Drive Initiative Project. She also is involved in a 3 year Sports Medicine Internship Program. Beela is excited to continue working with the Peace Academy as she progresses her academic career.

Sandra Sarrouf is a cultural consultant and educator committed to building environments of belonging. She received her MA in Cultural Sustainability and BA in Environmental Studies and Political Science with a minor in Global Peace and Security. As a professional dancer, she harnesses the power of creativity and movement as tools to embrace diversity, build just communities and learn about our multicultural world. As a Middle Eastern woman who immigrated to the U.S. at a young age she works to build bridges across differences, cultivating a deeper understanding of the varied ways we participate in culture. Working at the intersection of culture, art and justice, she recently founded Cultural Creations to support organizations who want to build inclusion, equity and belonging into their framework. Her radiant joy and deep cultural pride are most evident in the vibrancy she brings working with children and adults as a workshop facilitator, educator and dancer.  Sandra especially loves her summer work with PASA engaging children to open their minds about the incredible diversity in our communities and world through movement, art, story and dialogue! 

Stephanie Krouse is a freelance artist and credentialed teacher. Raised in Los Osos, California, she attended Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and received a BS degree in Ecology & Systematic Biology with a minor in Spanish. Doing art, caring about the natural environment, speaking Spanish, and serving her community has always been her passions. She was a dual immersion teacher in Santa Barbara County schools for 5 years. As a teacher, she loves to infuse her lessons with art and help kids create art with positive messages that are inspiring and hopeful. Krouse is fascinated by color and design. Her home studio, set like an island amidst row crops, in Guadalupe, is an ideal place for creating art. It is also in this location that she lives with her family. Recently, Krouse obtained a certificate in Food and Sustainability from eCornell.When not teaching for the Peace Academy of the Sciences and Arts, she works as a fitness trainer/coach for the I.M.F.A.S.T. exercise program offered through the Boys and Girls Club of Mid Central Coast for children in elementary grades, junior high, and high school.

Brandon Hurd is an engineer (BS+MS) by training and an “ecologist cowboy” by self-driven interests to join the revolution in regenerating land and reconnecting with food. He is a part of The Lavra community farm as a garden and livestock manager and will receive his Permaculture Design Certificate from Santa Cruz Permaculture this spring. Currently, he is researching sustainable communities, agroecology, and ethnobotany.

To learn more about the Lavra, check out their website here.

Dee DiGioia is a wholistic educator, life-skills coach, and founder of “Mindful Kindful YOUniversity” which offers mindfulness-based social-emotional learning programs in schools and communities for youth (and adults) to learn the essential life skills and foundation for resilience, happiness, and health & well-being. Having worked with children for nearly 40 years, including special education, and having discovered the tools to support her own mental health, Dee advocates for mindfulness and mental health education to be integrated as an essential component in our schools and communities. She has pioneered programs in schools for bullying intervention, compassionate leadership, and mindfulness. Dee is a passionate life-long learner and has trained and continues to deepen training in the sciences of Mindfulness, Meditation, Yoga, Positive Psychology, Eco (Nature) Psychology, Cognitive Behavioral Psychology, and more. Dee is overjoyed to collaborate with “Peace Academy” to inspire youth to become peacemakers and changemakers who will positively contribute to a thriving, resilient, compassionate, and peaceful world – by understanding their own inner nature and well-being which will positively impact connections and relationships to everyone and everything in the world around them.

To learn more about Mindful Kindful YOUniversity, visit MindfulKindfulYOUniversity.com