Program Information
Transform Yourself
At Naropa, we are not just imparting information. We are teaching how to cultivate wisdom. And true wisdom is discovered in the ‘not-knowing,’ in the paradoxes, in the mysterious depths of our Being. When this kind of openness to the mystery is integrated with the body, the mind, and the heart, then our wisdom can be expressed more authentically in the world. This is the whole point of a Naropa education.
Zvi Ish-Shalom
Naropa is more than a noun; it’s a verb. To meditate, write, discuss, intern, travel, serve, and explore the depths of identity and purpose – that’s Naropa.
Our Vibrant and Inclusive Community
Here, your community will uplift you and challenge you to grow into your most authentic self.
The first day of school I was surrounded by excited students—students who had a desire to speak about mindfulness, conscious living, and transformation within themselves and the community. I felt I found my tribe. Naropa students bring such a healing essence to the campus. I felt safe, secure, heard, and appreciated by those who surrounded me at Naropa.
Amanda Coleman
Meet the Humans of Naropa
Humans of Naropa: Erin Piatt 🌼
“I am really interested in people`s spiritual paths, no matter what it is. Personally, I come from a First Nations influenced, witchy, Buddhist path, but I`ve had students that are on Muslim paths, Christian paths, and Jewish paths. To me, I am really excited about whatever lights someone up. If that`s hiking in the mountains and that`s your spiritual path, then I want to hear about it. If it`s looking forward to celebrating Ramadan this year, or celebrating Jewish Shabbat, or if you went to this amazing church service at Saints Peter & Paul Greek Orthodox Church, I want to hear about it. I`m genuinely interested in what lights up people`s hearts, and if you`re struggling with that, then I want to help stoke the flames.
I believe that there`s a complete path available in every faith tradition. When you`re actually getting the core teachings, there`s a complete path there for you to follow and deepen in that can eventually open to a wider lens of connection with divinity. When you study the Christian mystics, for example, like Teresa of Avila, Julian of Norwich, and John of the Cross, it`s possible to reach that moment where the way of thinking in terms of separation doesn’t work anymore and you experience God in everything. So in my view, if you are praying with genuine faith in any tradition, I believe each human being has the potential to touch that divinity. It is inherent in our humanity that we have the ability to access transcendence. It`s there for everyone.”
Erin is a Master’s of Divinity student in her last semester at Naropa. She serves as a Campus Chaplain through Naropa’s Keating-Schachter Center for Interspirituality and has served in community organizing roles just about everywhere she goes. In her chaplain role, she is available each week by free appointment as a service for anyone in the Naropa community who is seeking support in times of grief, transition, spiritual questioning, or simply needing a kind, loving chat. You can also find her in the Pavilion during her Chaplain drop-in hours on Mondays and Thursdays. Link in bio for appointments!
Humans of Naropa: Erin Piatt 🌼
“I am really interested in people`s spiritual paths, no matter what it is. Personally, I come from a First Nations influenced, witchy, Buddhist path, but I`ve had students that are on Muslim paths, Christian paths, and Jewish paths. To me, I am really excited about whatever lights someone up. If that`s hiking in the mountains and that`s your spiritual path, then I want to hear about it. If it`s looking forward to celebrating Ramadan this year, or celebrating Jewish Shabbat, or if you went to this amazing church service at Saints Peter & Paul Greek Orthodox Church, I want to hear about it. I`m genuinely interested in what lights up people`s hearts, and if you`re struggling with that, then I want to help stoke the flames.
I believe that there`s a complete path available in every faith tradition. When you`re actually getting the core teachings, there`s a complete path there for you to follow and deepen in that can eventually open to a wider lens of connection with divinity. When you study the Christian mystics, for example, like Teresa of Avila, Julian of Norwich, and John of the Cross, it`s possible to reach that moment where the way of thinking in terms of separation doesn’t work anymore and you experience God in everything. So in my view, if you are praying with genuine faith in any tradition, I believe each human being has the potential to touch that divinity. It is inherent in our humanity that we have the ability to access transcendence. It`s there for everyone.”
Erin is a Master’s of Divinity student in her last semester at Naropa. She serves as a Campus Chaplain through Naropa’s Keating-Schachter Center for Interspirituality and has served in community organizing roles just about everywhere she goes. In her chaplain role, she is available each week by free appointment as a service for anyone in the Naropa community who is seeking support in times of grief, transition, spiritual questioning, or simply needing a kind, loving chat. You can also find her in the Pavilion during her Chaplain drop-in hours on Mondays and Thursdays. Link in bio for appointments!
Humans of Naropa: Zachary Alden 🌼
“When you come back into society from time served in the military, with the experiences you have, there is a huge sense of isolation. Many people don`t really understand where you`re coming from, so you kind of bottle up, shut down, and close down. For me, I could have gone to a therapist, but there was a little bit of pride and a sense of: I know I can get through this; I just need the tools and the resources. What I uncovered through that journey, largely because of Naropa and plant medicine, is that my situation, to a very small degree, is unique, but when you zoom out, my issues are very similar to another vet`s—male or female, regardless of race or gender. In the military, there is a sense of unity within humanity, at least in the uniform, because you are cut orders regardless of who you are. You`re not treated as a person; you`re treated as an asset. So coming back into society and wanting to be seen as a human being again comes from a longing for deeper healing. I think this longing stems from a few different things—the need for survival, the need to be able to connect with people again, but also seeing the need for our whole species to have these conversations about what it mean to live in balance, in harmony with life, with death, and with nature.”
Zachary is a junior at Naropa studying psychology with a double minor in yoga and psychedelic studies. Prior to his studies, he separated as a sergeant from the U.S. Marine Corps, having been stationed in Japan for four years. He now serves in a different capacity as Naropa University’s first chapter president of Students & Veterans of Naropa—a smaller chapter of the larger nonprofit Student Veterans of America (SVA), a globally recognized nonprofit with over 750,000 members across 1,600 other campus chapters. The Students & Veterans of Naropa (or Naropa SVA) is open to veteran and civilian students, with a vision to create bridges of conversation, healing, and collaboration. On February 18th at 6 p.m., the SVA will be hosting the first of a new live podcast series called Bridging Realities, with Naropa professor Elena Young as the first guest. Link in bio!
@naropa_sva
Humans of Naropa: Zachary Alden 🌼
“When you come back into society from time served in the military, with the experiences you have, there is a huge sense of isolation. Many people don`t really understand where you`re coming from, so you kind of bottle up, shut down, and close down. For me, I could have gone to a therapist, but there was a little bit of pride and a sense of: I know I can get through this; I just need the tools and the resources. What I uncovered through that journey, largely because of Naropa and plant medicine, is that my situation, to a very small degree, is unique, but when you zoom out, my issues are very similar to another vet`s—male or female, regardless of race or gender. In the military, there is a sense of unity within humanity, at least in the uniform, because you are cut orders regardless of who you are. You`re not treated as a person; you`re treated as an asset. So coming back into society and wanting to be seen as a human being again comes from a longing for deeper healing. I think this longing stems from a few different things—the need for survival, the need to be able to connect with people again, but also seeing the need for our whole species to have these conversations about what it mean to live in balance, in harmony with life, with death, and with nature.”
Zachary is a junior at Naropa studying psychology with a double minor in yoga and psychedelic studies. Prior to his studies, he separated as a sergeant from the U.S. Marine Corps, having been stationed in Japan for four years. He now serves in a different capacity as Naropa University’s first chapter president of Students & Veterans of Naropa—a smaller chapter of the larger nonprofit Student Veterans of America (SVA), a globally recognized nonprofit with over 750,000 members across 1,600 other campus chapters. The Students & Veterans of Naropa (or Naropa SVA) is open to veteran and civilian students, with a vision to create bridges of conversation, healing, and collaboration. On February 18th at 6 p.m., the SVA will be hosting the first of a new live podcast series called Bridging Realities, with Naropa professor Elena Young as the first guest. Link in bio!
@naropa_sva
🌼 Humans of Naropa: Chicago
“I’m grateful for all the people that have helped me along the way, every single person, my teachers and my students. When I got out of prison, guys that I had sponsored, and I`m still in contact, and guys that took my stress reduction class, the faculty from the University of Arizona that threw me a homecoming party, everyone who helped me get a bachelor’s degree behind bars, my kid who helped me put a GoFundME together, the warden that allowed me to do the grad interview in my oranges, which never happens, my CO3 officer who put in so much energy to help me get an interstate compact, even my parole officer approving my interstate compact to attend college without a job yet, to go back to school, its unheard of. She took a chance. But I had done the work and I know who I am and what I’m here to do. I`m a teacher. I`m a stress reduction teacher. I`m a teacher for prisoners, and it doesn`t have to be incarcerated people, it can be anyone. But I did have to go to prison to find who I am. I wouldn’t change it. And I’m grateful for all the people who have seen who I am and supported me along my path.”
Chicago is a first year master’s student of Naropa’s Mindfulness-Based Transpersonal Counseling program. This summer, he got out of prison after 25 years for an armed robbery in 1999. Now, he has a joy for life that is infectious to everyone who meets him and lives his life as he says, “like an open book.” While in prison he learned mindfulness and Buddhist meditation and became an avid practitioner with a daily practice and has led workshops and classes for other inmates since 2012. Through his education he plans to go back to work with inmates teaching stress-reduction, mindfulness, and compassion. He has written a series of stress-reduction books for prisoners that will be published, is getting his facilitator certificate in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, and just started a non-profit that will house all his stress-reduction work which he hopes will impact many to come.
🌼 Humans of Naropa: Chicago
“I’m grateful for all the people that have helped me along the way, every single person, my teachers and my students. When I got out of prison, guys that I had sponsored, and I`m still in contact, and guys that took my stress reduction class, the faculty from the University of Arizona that threw me a homecoming party, everyone who helped me get a bachelor’s degree behind bars, my kid who helped me put a GoFundME together, the warden that allowed me to do the grad interview in my oranges, which never happens, my CO3 officer who put in so much energy to help me get an interstate compact, even my parole officer approving my interstate compact to attend college without a job yet, to go back to school, its unheard of. She took a chance. But I had done the work and I know who I am and what I’m here to do. I`m a teacher. I`m a stress reduction teacher. I`m a teacher for prisoners, and it doesn`t have to be incarcerated people, it can be anyone. But I did have to go to prison to find who I am. I wouldn’t change it. And I’m grateful for all the people who have seen who I am and supported me along my path.”
Chicago is a first year master’s student of Naropa’s Mindfulness-Based Transpersonal Counseling program. This summer, he got out of prison after 25 years for an armed robbery in 1999. Now, he has a joy for life that is infectious to everyone who meets him and lives his life as he says, “like an open book.” While in prison he learned mindfulness and Buddhist meditation and became an avid practitioner with a daily practice and has led workshops and classes for other inmates since 2012. Through his education he plans to go back to work with inmates teaching stress-reduction, mindfulness, and compassion. He has written a series of stress-reduction books for prisoners that will be published, is getting his facilitator certificate in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, and just started a non-profit that will house all his stress-reduction work which he hopes will impact many to come.
🌼 Humans of Naropa: Giovannina Jobson
“My favorite thing to teach is Buddhist Studies, the Dharma, because it just makes a huge difference in people`s lives when someone starts to really ‘get’ how you create the world that you live in and that the choices you make reflect who you are at any given time. The Dharma is so down to Earth. In Buddhism there is no salvation that you can seek out there, so you have to stop looking at the sky to be saved. You, of course, have resources and people you trust and friends and family, but on a basic, ultimate level there`s just you—your mental stream, your consciousness and your emotions and you have to do the work yourself. There`s just no other way. The Buddha said the Earth is my witness when he was asked to prove that he had attained liberation. When you are down to Earth you are also more in harmony with yourself, and being in harmony with yourself is another way of being in harmony and connected with all of existence. If you can just sit and feel the earth breathing, feel the trees breathing and connect with that rhythm, you belong to this world. You don`t need somebody to say, you`re okay, or it`s okay that you were born. You just belong.”
Giovannina has been a professor in Naropa’s Wisdom Traditions department for over 23 years. She teaches in the Masters of Divinity (Mdiv) program as well as undergraduate courses on meditation, ritual arts, Maitri Space Awareness, and compassion. She was instrumental in helping to establish the Mdiv program at Naropa with a group of faculty decades ago. She is also an alumnx of Naropa’s former MA in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism and Contemplative Religion program. Outside of Naropa, she teaches meditation for non-profits, corporate retreats, and with domestic abuse survivors as well as in prisons and senior citizen centers. She loves spending time with her partner, Phil Stanley, another Naropa professor of Wisdom Traditions, and her three grandchildren. She`s a lover of mystical spiritual traditions of all kinds, and especially the Buddhadharma. Her work at Naropa and in the community is offered with devotion and gratitude to her teacher Trungpa Rinpoche.
🌼 Humans of Naropa: Giovannina Jobson
“My favorite thing to teach is Buddhist Studies, the Dharma, because it just makes a huge difference in people`s lives when someone starts to really ‘get’ how you create the world that you live in and that the choices you make reflect who you are at any given time. The Dharma is so down to Earth. In Buddhism there is no salvation that you can seek out there, so you have to stop looking at the sky to be saved. You, of course, have resources and people you trust and friends and family, but on a basic, ultimate level there`s just you—your mental stream, your consciousness and your emotions and you have to do the work yourself. There`s just no other way. The Buddha said the Earth is my witness when he was asked to prove that he had attained liberation. When you are down to Earth you are also more in harmony with yourself, and being in harmony with yourself is another way of being in harmony and connected with all of existence. If you can just sit and feel the earth breathing, feel the trees breathing and connect with that rhythm, you belong to this world. You don`t need somebody to say, you`re okay, or it`s okay that you were born. You just belong.”
Giovannina has been a professor in Naropa’s Wisdom Traditions department for over 23 years. She teaches in the Masters of Divinity (Mdiv) program as well as undergraduate courses on meditation, ritual arts, Maitri Space Awareness, and compassion. She was instrumental in helping to establish the Mdiv program at Naropa with a group of faculty decades ago. She is also an alumnx of Naropa’s former MA in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism and Contemplative Religion program. Outside of Naropa, she teaches meditation for non-profits, corporate retreats, and with domestic abuse survivors as well as in prisons and senior citizen centers. She loves spending time with her partner, Phil Stanley, another Naropa professor of Wisdom Traditions, and her three grandchildren. She`s a lover of mystical spiritual traditions of all kinds, and especially the Buddhadharma. Her work at Naropa and in the community is offered with devotion and gratitude to her teacher Trungpa Rinpoche.
🌼 Humans of Naropa: Moudi Sbeity
“I`m a fairly open book, quite literally. I talk about what I`m passionate about quite obsessively: I love writing and poetry as mindfulness and transpersonal practices. I see writing as an archeology of soul and the pen is your digging tool. You dig through your experiences to process them, and throughout that process you get to take a step back and witness what you`ve experienced, and find beautiful gems from the past that have shaped you.
What feels important to me most days is language. So true to writing and poetry, language shapes our experience. It`s how we can show who we are. There`s a saying in Lebanon that a vessel spills what it contains. I care about this world a lot, and I love this world in a way that it`s painful at times to see what`s happening and how cruel and violent we can be. And I find that it all comes back to language and story. The way we show up in our words and our actions really shape the reality we experience. Writing and poetry are a way to refine not just how we think, but how we express what we feel and I think that has the power to create a more possible world for everybody.”
Moudi is a writer, poet, and grad student currently in his second year of the MA in Mindfulness-Based Transpersonal Counseling program. He is author of the forthcoming memoir Habibi Means Beloved: a spirited queer memoir about stuttering, war and belonging. Originally from Lebanon his life has taken remarkable turns—he sued the state of Utah for the right to marry his former husband over a decade ago which paved the way for legalization of same-sex marriage in 5 states after a Supreme Court ruling. He also co-owned a Lebanese restaurant in Salt Lake City and currently facilitates poetry and writing workshops. Having grown up with a stutter, Moudi has found language and public speaking to be an empowering process of visibility and revolution. He describes himself as a Sufi at heart.
🌼 Humans of Naropa: Moudi Sbeity
“I`m a fairly open book, quite literally. I talk about what I`m passionate about quite obsessively: I love writing and poetry as mindfulness and transpersonal practices. I see writing as an archeology of soul and the pen is your digging tool. You dig through your experiences to process them, and throughout that process you get to take a step back and witness what you`ve experienced, and find beautiful gems from the past that have shaped you.
What feels important to me most days is language. So true to writing and poetry, language shapes our experience. It`s how we can show who we are. There`s a saying in Lebanon that a vessel spills what it contains. I care about this world a lot, and I love this world in a way that it`s painful at times to see what`s happening and how cruel and violent we can be. And I find that it all comes back to language and story. The way we show up in our words and our actions really shape the reality we experience. Writing and poetry are a way to refine not just how we think, but how we express what we feel and I think that has the power to create a more possible world for everybody.”
Moudi is a writer, poet, and grad student currently in his second year of the MA in Mindfulness-Based Transpersonal Counseling program. He is author of the forthcoming memoir Habibi Means Beloved: a spirited queer memoir about stuttering, war and belonging. Originally from Lebanon his life has taken remarkable turns—he sued the state of Utah for the right to marry his former husband over a decade ago which paved the way for legalization of same-sex marriage in 5 states after a Supreme Court ruling. He also co-owned a Lebanese restaurant in Salt Lake City and currently facilitates poetry and writing workshops. Having grown up with a stutter, Moudi has found language and public speaking to be an empowering process of visibility and revolution. He describes himself as a Sufi at heart.
🌼 Humans of Naropa: Lodi Siefer
“Recently in the larger field, social justice and earth justice have people looking deeper and saying, oh, the same extractive and exploitive systems underlie both and then that ripples out into everything. This is our collective home, there is no other planet, and we`re all in this together, whether we agree with each other or not. So to me, when I say climate justice, it is all of it— it`s food systems, it`s transportation, it`s housing, it`s wage theft, it`s immigration issues, it`s all of those things that are part of a particular narrative that sees us as separate from one another and that it`s possible for someone to benefit while others are oppressed. That’s just not how things actually work long term; it’s wonderful that we live on a planet where that just isn`t the truth. We have to realize we are completely inseparable and dependent upon each other. Both on other humans but also every breath I take is a gift from the trees and every out breath, without any effort on my part, is food for them. We were built to be co-developing and we evolved to be a keystone species on this planet. Some things I’ve learned from Indigenous scholars like Lyla June is that in the geological record wherever humans appeared in a place, biodiversity grew. We are capable of being caretakers of this planet and I think we`re actually wired for that much more than we’re wired for fear or loss of that sense of connectedness.”
Lodi is an alumnx of the MA of Contemplative Psychotherapy program and former adjunct faculty for the MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling in the Somatic-based and Buddhism-Informed concentrations. They are now the co-director of the Climate Justice Hive—a Boulder organization that acts as the connective tissue for many local climate justice organizations, making it easier for them to coordinate and collaborate across sectors. Through the lessons the Hive learns in movement organizing and fiscal hosting for grassroots efforts, the model will be offered and extended to further cities across the US and beyond.
🌼 Humans of Naropa: Lodi Siefer
“Recently in the larger field, social justice and earth justice have people looking deeper and saying, oh, the same extractive and exploitive systems underlie both and then that ripples out into everything. This is our collective home, there is no other planet, and we`re all in this together, whether we agree with each other or not. So to me, when I say climate justice, it is all of it— it`s food systems, it`s transportation, it`s housing, it`s wage theft, it`s immigration issues, it`s all of those things that are part of a particular narrative that sees us as separate from one another and that it`s possible for someone to benefit while others are oppressed. That’s just not how things actually work long term; it’s wonderful that we live on a planet where that just isn`t the truth. We have to realize we are completely inseparable and dependent upon each other. Both on other humans but also every breath I take is a gift from the trees and every out breath, without any effort on my part, is food for them. We were built to be co-developing and we evolved to be a keystone species on this planet. Some things I’ve learned from Indigenous scholars like Lyla June is that in the geological record wherever humans appeared in a place, biodiversity grew. We are capable of being caretakers of this planet and I think we`re actually wired for that much more than we’re wired for fear or loss of that sense of connectedness.”
Lodi is an alumnx of the MA of Contemplative Psychotherapy program and former adjunct faculty for the MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling in the Somatic-based and Buddhism-Informed concentrations. They are now the co-director of the Climate Justice Hive—a Boulder organization that acts as the connective tissue for many local climate justice organizations, making it easier for them to coordinate and collaborate across sectors. Through the lessons the Hive learns in movement organizing and fiscal hosting for grassroots efforts, the model will be offered and extended to further cities across the US and beyond.
🌼 Humans of Naropa: Drew Grindley
“My favorite therapy modality is Internal Family Systems. I love it because it helps bring this view of ministering care to yourself as you would another person. Like, what would you do if there was a child here in front of you? You would care for them. You would give them what they need. Sometimes, it’s hard for people to recognize the child that we were still lives in us. In IFS, you get to find the different parts of yourself, the different selves with different ages that are within you and start caring for them. And it`s really beautiful knowing that I don`t have to be all the same person, I can be so many different aspects. Its like what Whitman says: I contain multitudes. I can say that I hate my dad and I can say I love my dad, because they’re each part of it. And I`m passionate about sharing that with other people and letting them see that vision of the 13-year-old, or 6-year-old version of you that’s still alive. In cases with trauma it`s more pronounced, but we all have these multitudes that are there and waiting on you. There`s no one else that can come in and say: you`re okay, I`m here for you now, your suffering isn`t over, but I`ll be in it with you. That older, mature you can be the parent, the provider and the caretaker that younger you needed and maybe didn`t have. And you can say to those parts of you—it`s okay, I`m here. And that`s part of being a healthy adult is learning how to hold myself in my youth and in that insecurity and keep moving.”
Drew is a graduate student of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling: Mindfulness-Based Transpersonal track. She is an avid writer, rock climber, gamer, and reader. She’s interested in getting involved in the applied research of human sexuality with Naropa professors and AASECT and making a career of helping others on their healing path to authenticity, integrity, and wholeness.
🌼 Humans of Naropa: Drew Grindley
“My favorite therapy modality is Internal Family Systems. I love it because it helps bring this view of ministering care to yourself as you would another person. Like, what would you do if there was a child here in front of you? You would care for them. You would give them what they need. Sometimes, it’s hard for people to recognize the child that we were still lives in us. In IFS, you get to find the different parts of yourself, the different selves with different ages that are within you and start caring for them. And it`s really beautiful knowing that I don`t have to be all the same person, I can be so many different aspects. Its like what Whitman says: I contain multitudes. I can say that I hate my dad and I can say I love my dad, because they’re each part of it. And I`m passionate about sharing that with other people and letting them see that vision of the 13-year-old, or 6-year-old version of you that’s still alive. In cases with trauma it`s more pronounced, but we all have these multitudes that are there and waiting on you. There`s no one else that can come in and say: you`re okay, I`m here for you now, your suffering isn`t over, but I`ll be in it with you. That older, mature you can be the parent, the provider and the caretaker that younger you needed and maybe didn`t have. And you can say to those parts of you—it`s okay, I`m here. And that`s part of being a healthy adult is learning how to hold myself in my youth and in that insecurity and keep moving.”
Drew is a graduate student of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling: Mindfulness-Based Transpersonal track. She is an avid writer, rock climber, gamer, and reader. She’s interested in getting involved in the applied research of human sexuality with Naropa professors and AASECT and making a career of helping others on their healing path to authenticity, integrity, and wholeness.
Humans of Naropa: Austin Gates 🌼
“If I had one spiritual belief, it would be that the point of nature and evolution is authentic expression. There is no such thing as the optimization of nature. Nature isn`t evolving to be optimized and perfect. It is optimized to be good enough so that it can be free to express itself—like birds dancing, or flowers doing what they do, or the way certain seeds move through the air or can attach to animals or spread out from their roots. There`s this one particular plant in the Amazon that looks like half a coconut, and it sheds off these little paper thin layers with its seed in the middle, and then it takes off like a paper airplane that flies through the jungle until it lands. And just the fact that it’s been evolved to do that is such a beautiful thing. What a full expression, like little paper planes that descends everywhere. Things like that are just absolutely to be admired about nature. That`s definitely a spiritual belief I hold. That and the view that the ground of all being is ultimately good and that evil is the distortion of the good. So I think the ground that allows for existence to express itself fully is ultimately good.”
Austin completed his Bachelor’s in Psychology at Naropa in 2023 and is a first year graduate student of the Mindfulness-Based Transpersonal Counseling program. Outside of Naropa he’s a neuro-feedback technician, practices jujitsu, likes hiking, and takes trips in his truck. He leads the Radical Futurist Student Group, and even helped initiate a new class next semester that will be offered to students by Naropa professors in the Spring on Radical Futurism: an intensive weekend class for creating collaborative dialogue and creative solutions for moving forward in an increasingly complex world.
Humans of Naropa: Austin Gates 🌼
“If I had one spiritual belief, it would be that the point of nature and evolution is authentic expression. There is no such thing as the optimization of nature. Nature isn`t evolving to be optimized and perfect. It is optimized to be good enough so that it can be free to express itself—like birds dancing, or flowers doing what they do, or the way certain seeds move through the air or can attach to animals or spread out from their roots. There`s this one particular plant in the Amazon that looks like half a coconut, and it sheds off these little paper thin layers with its seed in the middle, and then it takes off like a paper airplane that flies through the jungle until it lands. And just the fact that it’s been evolved to do that is such a beautiful thing. What a full expression, like little paper planes that descends everywhere. Things like that are just absolutely to be admired about nature. That`s definitely a spiritual belief I hold. That and the view that the ground of all being is ultimately good and that evil is the distortion of the good. So I think the ground that allows for existence to express itself fully is ultimately good.”
Austin completed his Bachelor’s in Psychology at Naropa in 2023 and is a first year graduate student of the Mindfulness-Based Transpersonal Counseling program. Outside of Naropa he’s a neuro-feedback technician, practices jujitsu, likes hiking, and takes trips in his truck. He leads the Radical Futurist Student Group, and even helped initiate a new class next semester that will be offered to students by Naropa professors in the Spring on Radical Futurism: an intensive weekend class for creating collaborative dialogue and creative solutions for moving forward in an increasingly complex world.
🌼 Humans of Naropa: Celeste Da Silva Cunha
“As a first-generation student, I am the first in my immediate family of grandparents, parents, and siblings to go to university. I feel that a lineage chain of education for the women in my family has been broken, and I am grateful to be the generational chain breaker having received the opportunity to attend Naropa as a mature age international student. The students and faculty are what make Naropa the magical institution that it is. It has given me the freedom to expand on previous knowledge, enhance my career and life interests, integrating both Eastern and Western philosophy into a mindfulness-based practice. It takes courage, confidence, and discipline to go back to college and enter spaces where everyone is half your age. Naropa has offered just the right amount of sanity and chaos for creativity to emerge, as most students who attend are not your average age and are looking for diversity in a liberal arts education to transform their lives. I would like to encourage those who are entering the next stage of life and have been thinking of going back to college to take a leap into the unknown. Challenge yourself, ask questions, speak up, don’t be afraid to stand out, you were born to be different, that is the only way to experience this one precious human life you have been given.”
Celeste is a senior with a double major in Psychology and Creative Writing and Literature. She co-chairs the Student Union of Naropa (SUN), is a Resident Assistant, and founded the student group InterNations in 2021, for international and out of state student to connect which she is now an administrator for. Also a former yoga teacher, her interests lie in somatic mind-body movement and embodied, experimental poetry and children’s literature. She is in the middle of publishing her first children’s book this year on yoga and mindfulness. She is a mother of 4 adult children and in her spare time, enjoys yoga practice, walking, hiking, reading, writing and traveling. She is a life-long learner and believes that everyone deserves a chance to be educated and pursue their dreams.
🌼 Humans of Naropa: Celeste Da Silva Cunha
“As a first-generation student, I am the first in my immediate family of grandparents, parents, and siblings to go to university. I feel that a lineage chain of education for the women in my family has been broken, and I am grateful to be the generational chain breaker having received the opportunity to attend Naropa as a mature age international student. The students and faculty are what make Naropa the magical institution that it is. It has given me the freedom to expand on previous knowledge, enhance my career and life interests, integrating both Eastern and Western philosophy into a mindfulness-based practice. It takes courage, confidence, and discipline to go back to college and enter spaces where everyone is half your age. Naropa has offered just the right amount of sanity and chaos for creativity to emerge, as most students who attend are not your average age and are looking for diversity in a liberal arts education to transform their lives. I would like to encourage those who are entering the next stage of life and have been thinking of going back to college to take a leap into the unknown. Challenge yourself, ask questions, speak up, don’t be afraid to stand out, you were born to be different, that is the only way to experience this one precious human life you have been given.”
Celeste is a senior with a double major in Psychology and Creative Writing and Literature. She co-chairs the Student Union of Naropa (SUN), is a Resident Assistant, and founded the student group InterNations in 2021, for international and out of state student to connect which she is now an administrator for. Also a former yoga teacher, her interests lie in somatic mind-body movement and embodied, experimental poetry and children’s literature. She is in the middle of publishing her first children’s book this year on yoga and mindfulness. She is a mother of 4 adult children and in her spare time, enjoys yoga practice, walking, hiking, reading, writing and traveling. She is a life-long learner and believes that everyone deserves a chance to be educated and pursue their dreams.
🌼 Humans of Naropa: Cari Lewis
“I had never got involved with my community in this way before. I didn’t want to be part of the stereotypes. I grew up around politics. I grew up in the D.C. metropolitan area, my stepdad worked for the government at one point and so politics were part of my experience growing up and it was terrible. The energy was heavy, and it was overwhelming. So for awhile, I just thought, I`m going to focus on my bubble and what I can control and live life peacefully. However, when MCIC spoke at orientation, and I mean all of MCIC: JEDI, the Joanna Macy Center, CACE, it was like, wait, I want to be part of this. I want to help my community for the first time. My heart strings were pulled.”
Cari is a first year graduate student in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program with a Mindfulness-based Transpersonal focus. They serve as a behavioral health specialist doing boots on the ground work at a UC Health rehabilitation facility working with addictions and disorders, and are also the Mission Culture and Inclusive Community (MCIC) graduate assistant work-study. Their dream is to open a wellness center after completing a graduate degree where people can come for mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional health.
🌼 Humans of Naropa: Cari Lewis
“I had never got involved with my community in this way before. I didn’t want to be part of the stereotypes. I grew up around politics. I grew up in the D.C. metropolitan area, my stepdad worked for the government at one point and so politics were part of my experience growing up and it was terrible. The energy was heavy, and it was overwhelming. So for awhile, I just thought, I`m going to focus on my bubble and what I can control and live life peacefully. However, when MCIC spoke at orientation, and I mean all of MCIC: JEDI, the Joanna Macy Center, CACE, it was like, wait, I want to be part of this. I want to help my community for the first time. My heart strings were pulled.”
Cari is a first year graduate student in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program with a Mindfulness-based Transpersonal focus. They serve as a behavioral health specialist doing boots on the ground work at a UC Health rehabilitation facility working with addictions and disorders, and are also the Mission Culture and Inclusive Community (MCIC) graduate assistant work-study. Their dream is to open a wellness center after completing a graduate degree where people can come for mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional health.
🌼 Humans of Naropa: Robi Robichaud
“I definitely wasn`t asked to put this amount of hours into the Naropa recording studio, but it was something that gave me infinite energy—one of those moments in my life where I feel like I`m tapping into some type of purpose or dharma. It`s always an ever changing relationship with how much time that I`m able to spend making music, but there`s just this drive there. I don`t know where it comes from, but it makes me really happy to do it. And it`s been really fun to learn to use the technology and bring ideas to life in a tangible way.
I see music as a really powerful force for bringing people together. They could be divided in so many ways that they perceive, and then there they are singing to the same song. It’s a great feeling. So I see that as one purpose in this life to bring people together around music. I`ve had a lot of fun with the community at Naropa where we`re doing just that, so I`m grateful to be tapping into some of that magic.”
Robi is a junior Interdisciplinary major focusing on music, meditation, yoga and teaching. She is a student work-study at Naropa’s recording studio and is passionate about helping others bring their creations to life. She produced an album called The River, which can be found on Spotify, featuring Naropa students and Boulder local singer-song writers, rappers, and spoken work poets. Outside of her music passions, she also runs a free food kitchen that goes to regional events and feeds the people with the help of food donations and other volunteers.
🌼 Humans of Naropa: Robi Robichaud
“I definitely wasn`t asked to put this amount of hours into the Naropa recording studio, but it was something that gave me infinite energy—one of those moments in my life where I feel like I`m tapping into some type of purpose or dharma. It`s always an ever changing relationship with how much time that I`m able to spend making music, but there`s just this drive there. I don`t know where it comes from, but it makes me really happy to do it. And it`s been really fun to learn to use the technology and bring ideas to life in a tangible way.
I see music as a really powerful force for bringing people together. They could be divided in so many ways that they perceive, and then there they are singing to the same song. It’s a great feeling. So I see that as one purpose in this life to bring people together around music. I`ve had a lot of fun with the community at Naropa where we`re doing just that, so I`m grateful to be tapping into some of that magic.”
Robi is a junior Interdisciplinary major focusing on music, meditation, yoga and teaching. She is a student work-study at Naropa’s recording studio and is passionate about helping others bring their creations to life. She produced an album called The River, which can be found on Spotify, featuring Naropa students and Boulder local singer-song writers, rappers, and spoken work poets. Outside of her music passions, she also runs a free food kitchen that goes to regional events and feeds the people with the help of food donations and other volunteers.
🌼 Humans of Naropa: Stephan Taylor
“What’s made me stay at Naropa is the people. A lot of the students I`ve met and worked with have been awesome people, and I’ve had some really great supervisors and coworkers here. I think the thing that I love about our students and everyone here is how open to change Naropians are or at least accepting of change. And we may not necessarily be happy that it’s happening, but we roll with it, we process our feelings, and we go with it. Because that’s life. I think that`s an amazing quality and it’s a strength to be built upon. And you don`t find that capability in many other places. I think there`s such a wanting to hold on to things, even to the point where it`s unhealthy—like in other places where I`ve been there is a trying to get back to something, and we can`t go back to that and maybe the thing we’re trying to get back to was never what it was. For example, I went to school at LSU which was founded in 1860 and our first president was General Sherman, who was a union general who burnt Atlanta, and there were people there who really wanted to hold on to things from the past that were just never true.
The other thing I love is that so many people here are seekers and they want to find truth and that`s a really cool thing. Now sometimes that leads them into places that I`m like…maybe that part is not the best, but you live and you learn. At the same time, the fact that people are actively wanting to seek truth, particularly in a world where so many people are perfectly fine with a comfortable lie is also another strength to be built upon.”
Stephan is the Director of Campus & Residential Life at Naropa. He’s worked in Higher Ed institutions since 2013, and prior to that his jobs included being a film extra in movies and TV! When not working he loves karaoke, tabletop role playing games, nature, science and history documentaries, and is currently working on a Doctorate in Higher Education & Student Affairs.
🌼 Humans of Naropa: Stephan Taylor
“What’s made me stay at Naropa is the people. A lot of the students I`ve met and worked with have been awesome people, and I’ve had some really great supervisors and coworkers here. I think the thing that I love about our students and everyone here is how open to change Naropians are or at least accepting of change. And we may not necessarily be happy that it’s happening, but we roll with it, we process our feelings, and we go with it. Because that’s life. I think that`s an amazing quality and it’s a strength to be built upon. And you don`t find that capability in many other places. I think there`s such a wanting to hold on to things, even to the point where it`s unhealthy—like in other places where I`ve been there is a trying to get back to something, and we can`t go back to that and maybe the thing we’re trying to get back to was never what it was. For example, I went to school at LSU which was founded in 1860 and our first president was General Sherman, who was a union general who burnt Atlanta, and there were people there who really wanted to hold on to things from the past that were just never true.
The other thing I love is that so many people here are seekers and they want to find truth and that`s a really cool thing. Now sometimes that leads them into places that I`m like…maybe that part is not the best, but you live and you learn. At the same time, the fact that people are actively wanting to seek truth, particularly in a world where so many people are perfectly fine with a comfortable lie is also another strength to be built upon.”
Stephan is the Director of Campus & Residential Life at Naropa. He’s worked in Higher Ed institutions since 2013, and prior to that his jobs included being a film extra in movies and TV! When not working he loves karaoke, tabletop role playing games, nature, science and history documentaries, and is currently working on a Doctorate in Higher Education & Student Affairs.
🌼 Humans of Naropa: Jenna Priest
“I am a nerd for two things: Naruto, my favorite anime, and Bill Plotkin. Plotkin is an eco-depth-psychologist who founded the Animas Valley Institute and created a modern nature-based rite-of-passage influenced by indigenous vision quests. The rites-of-passages initiate people into a true adulthood, which is inherently ecologically aligned, and reintegrates them with their ecological identity. So, it was during a two-week Animas Quest that I did in 2020 that I first heard about Naropa from someone, and wrote it down in my journal and circled it. Months later, I came across Naropa`s website and discovered the Ecopsychology program and I just kind of fell in love. The beauty of Naropa programs is that you’re able to tailor it to your passions and interests, so a lot of my work within my psychology degree always came back to Ecopsychology topics.
As for Naruto, to me he embodies self-development, the value of community, and the importance of never giving up, no matter how bleak the future seems. His determination to change things, even in the most hopeless moments, inspires me. It’s his relentless hope and courage that reminds me that I, too, have the strength to face our ecological crisis and the power to make a meaningful difference.”
Jenna is a Naropa Admissions Counselor and BA Psychology graduate with a concentration in humanistic and transpersonal psychology. She loves dancing, jazz, and reading fiction. A former casino dealer, you can still find her slinging cards at local charity events. Jenna has a green belt in Chukido Kwan and a deep love for Tai Chi, which she still practices whole-heartedly at Naropa each semester.
🌼 Humans of Naropa: Jenna Priest
“I am a nerd for two things: Naruto, my favorite anime, and Bill Plotkin. Plotkin is an eco-depth-psychologist who founded the Animas Valley Institute and created a modern nature-based rite-of-passage influenced by indigenous vision quests. The rites-of-passages initiate people into a true adulthood, which is inherently ecologically aligned, and reintegrates them with their ecological identity. So, it was during a two-week Animas Quest that I did in 2020 that I first heard about Naropa from someone, and wrote it down in my journal and circled it. Months later, I came across Naropa`s website and discovered the Ecopsychology program and I just kind of fell in love. The beauty of Naropa programs is that you’re able to tailor it to your passions and interests, so a lot of my work within my psychology degree always came back to Ecopsychology topics.
As for Naruto, to me he embodies self-development, the value of community, and the importance of never giving up, no matter how bleak the future seems. His determination to change things, even in the most hopeless moments, inspires me. It’s his relentless hope and courage that reminds me that I, too, have the strength to face our ecological crisis and the power to make a meaningful difference.”
Jenna is a Naropa Admissions Counselor and BA Psychology graduate with a concentration in humanistic and transpersonal psychology. She loves dancing, jazz, and reading fiction. A former casino dealer, you can still find her slinging cards at local charity events. Jenna has a green belt in Chukido Kwan and a deep love for Tai Chi, which she still practices whole-heartedly at Naropa each semester.
🌼 Humans of Naropa: Marcos Perez
“I’m passionate about art and creativity, and I just love life and how challenging it is. So I`ve always wanted to be either a therapist or a graphic artist.
I used to do my art as illustration or graphic design more as a profession and that can be hard on an artist. Coming from: what do you want and what will people like? When art, really, is working from my soul. It`s creative. My soul`s showing me things I didn’t even know I knew, and it keeps showing me picture after picture. I can`t keep up. That’s the art I do now. So there`s a part of me that`s mechanical, and that’s fine, and there`s part of me that`s just generative.
The human condition also feels similar when you’re working on an area of life where you are suffering, and then all of a sudden, you resolve it! It`s along the same lines as creative problem-solving. And being able to help someone solve a problem in their life and seeing that thing unlock—it’s generative. I guess it feels like the same thing to me: art and the human condition.”
Marcos is the Creative Manager and Lead Designer at Naropa—doing all the branding and design work across Naropa’s website, campuses, events, and more. He is simultaneously in his second year as a grad student for the Master’s in Transpersonal Contemplative Art–Based Counseling, and he is author of the recently released book, The Next Good Thing, chronicling his story through a dark night of the soul and the guidance, messages, and inspiring mentors that showed up along the way.
🌼 Humans of Naropa: Marcos Perez
“I’m passionate about art and creativity, and I just love life and how challenging it is. So I`ve always wanted to be either a therapist or a graphic artist.
I used to do my art as illustration or graphic design more as a profession and that can be hard on an artist. Coming from: what do you want and what will people like? When art, really, is working from my soul. It`s creative. My soul`s showing me things I didn’t even know I knew, and it keeps showing me picture after picture. I can`t keep up. That’s the art I do now. So there`s a part of me that`s mechanical, and that’s fine, and there`s part of me that`s just generative.
The human condition also feels similar when you’re working on an area of life where you are suffering, and then all of a sudden, you resolve it! It`s along the same lines as creative problem-solving. And being able to help someone solve a problem in their life and seeing that thing unlock—it’s generative. I guess it feels like the same thing to me: art and the human condition.”
Marcos is the Creative Manager and Lead Designer at Naropa—doing all the branding and design work across Naropa’s website, campuses, events, and more. He is simultaneously in his second year as a grad student for the Master’s in Transpersonal Contemplative Art–Based Counseling, and he is author of the recently released book, The Next Good Thing, chronicling his story through a dark night of the soul and the guidance, messages, and inspiring mentors that showed up along the way.
🌼 Humans of Naropa: Gabriella Espinoza
“I’m fascinated by the ways mental fabrication, which is influenced by internal and external structures and experience, can shape our realities. I’m interested in the philosophical inquiry of non-duality and seeing how we can look at non-dual concepts and apply it to working with the malleability of the mind—understanding that we have agency over our perceptions and interactions with the world.
I’m passionate about being within the intensity of life and doing whatever I do in the most present state. Whether it’s resting, reading, or running, I’m constantly approaching it with my full attention. In doing so there’s confrontation with a more unfiltered experience of reality. That’s the only way I want to live.”
Gabriella is a junior with a double major in psychology and yoga and a minor in psychedelic studies. She started as a physics and philosophy major at CU before transferring to Naropa in search of a more non-duality framework. On campus, she leads Insight Circle, which is a dialogue club with guest speakers and intercommunal activities. In her free time she loves backpacking, running, being in nature, reading, practicing at the zen center, dancing, and doing vocals for meditation concerts.
🌼 Humans of Naropa: Gabriella Espinoza
“I’m fascinated by the ways mental fabrication, which is influenced by internal and external structures and experience, can shape our realities. I’m interested in the philosophical inquiry of non-duality and seeing how we can look at non-dual concepts and apply it to working with the malleability of the mind—understanding that we have agency over our perceptions and interactions with the world.
I’m passionate about being within the intensity of life and doing whatever I do in the most present state. Whether it’s resting, reading, or running, I’m constantly approaching it with my full attention. In doing so there’s confrontation with a more unfiltered experience of reality. That’s the only way I want to live.”
Gabriella is a junior with a double major in psychology and yoga and a minor in psychedelic studies. She started as a physics and philosophy major at CU before transferring to Naropa in search of a more non-duality framework. On campus, she leads Insight Circle, which is a dialogue club with guest speakers and intercommunal activities. In her free time she loves backpacking, running, being in nature, reading, practicing at the zen center, dancing, and doing vocals for meditation concerts.
🌼 Humans of Naropa: Sean Russell
“I’m inspired to create environments where good conversations keep happening. If I’m passionate about anything it’s communication and connecting with other people. I want the health of our conversations to get better as a species. A lot of our conversations perpetuate cycles of suffering, but I see conversation as something that has capacity to change the world. Like a good conversation can make two people go off happier and more fulfilled, and then go on to have another good conversation with someone else. My life would probably become nearly meaningless if good conversations ceased. There are still many things in life I enjoy, but I believe a big majority of why I’m here is to have good conversations and facilitate an environment where other people can start good conversations and feel connected, whether I’m there or not.”
Sean is a senior of BA Interdisciplinary Studies with an emphasis on religious studies and education. Coming from a background in politics and hospitality, he transferred to Naropa with a vision to impact education and encourage the next generation—even getting started now during his studies as he substitute teaches in Boulder classrooms. You can find him on campus at the cafe doing work, playing music with friends, and of course, huddled up with someone in a good conversation.
🌼 Humans of Naropa: Sean Russell
“I’m inspired to create environments where good conversations keep happening. If I’m passionate about anything it’s communication and connecting with other people. I want the health of our conversations to get better as a species. A lot of our conversations perpetuate cycles of suffering, but I see conversation as something that has capacity to change the world. Like a good conversation can make two people go off happier and more fulfilled, and then go on to have another good conversation with someone else. My life would probably become nearly meaningless if good conversations ceased. There are still many things in life I enjoy, but I believe a big majority of why I’m here is to have good conversations and facilitate an environment where other people can start good conversations and feel connected, whether I’m there or not.”
Sean is a senior of BA Interdisciplinary Studies with an emphasis on religious studies and education. Coming from a background in politics and hospitality, he transferred to Naropa with a vision to impact education and encourage the next generation—even getting started now during his studies as he substitute teaches in Boulder classrooms. You can find him on campus at the cafe doing work, playing music with friends, and of course, huddled up with someone in a good conversation.
🌼 Humans of Naropa
We’re starting a new weekly series that showcases the amazing people at Naropa University—sharing a glimpse into the stories, experiences, and individuals that make up our beloved community. Our first highlight is recent alum, Nicole (Niki) Mathurā:
“When I first arrived at Naropa University, I felt as though I was aimlessly navigating the vast landscape of my creativity, unsure of my place within it. Over time, I discovered that the journey itself was leading me home—to the mandala of my heartmind and the uncharted depths of my inner child. Through contemplative practices and the embrace of loving-kindness toward myself, Naropa helped me find my center. I learned that creativity thrives when it’s nurtured with compassion, not only for the world around us but also for ourselves. In those moments of self-kindness and reflection, I realized that art is more than an outward form of expression—it is a deeply healing practice of inner exploration. My time here gave me the tools to view art as an extension of self-love, where every stroke of the brush carries the intention of mindfulness and gentleness.”
Niki, also known as Muse of Meow, is a talented artist, mom of 2, recent Naropa graduate of the BA in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus on environmental studies and psychology, and current Donor Relations Officer at Greenpeace. @themuseofmeow
🌼 Humans of Naropa
We’re starting a new weekly series that showcases the amazing people at Naropa University—sharing a glimpse into the stories, experiences, and individuals that make up our beloved community. Our first highlight is recent alum, Nicole (Niki) Mathurā:
“When I first arrived at Naropa University, I felt as though I was aimlessly navigating the vast landscape of my creativity, unsure of my place within it. Over time, I discovered that the journey itself was leading me home—to the mandala of my heartmind and the uncharted depths of my inner child. Through contemplative practices and the embrace of loving-kindness toward myself, Naropa helped me find my center. I learned that creativity thrives when it’s nurtured with compassion, not only for the world around us but also for ourselves. In those moments of self-kindness and reflection, I realized that art is more than an outward form of expression—it is a deeply healing practice of inner exploration. My time here gave me the tools to view art as an extension of self-love, where every stroke of the brush carries the intention of mindfulness and gentleness.”
Niki, also known as Muse of Meow, is a talented artist, mom of 2, recent Naropa graduate of the BA in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus on environmental studies and psychology, and current Donor Relations Officer at Greenpeace. @themuseofmeow
Student Activities and Leadership Opportunities
Life outside the classroom at Naropa is as enriching as your academic journey, providing you with experiences that foster leadership, creativity, and community engagement – skills that prepare you for life after Naropa.
Opportunities include:
- Creating or joining student groups that reflect your passions.
- Representing your peers in the Student Union of Naropa (SUN).
- Organizing service projects that benefit the local community.
- Participating in leadership workshops, panel discussions, and creative events.
Weekly offerings such as yoga, meditation, and wellness sessions complement a rich calendar of events including art exhibits, speaker panels, open-mic nights, and film screenings. These activities encourage balance and self-awareness while sharpening your creative thinking and adaptability – qualities highly valued in today’s professional world.
Whether you’re curating an art gallery or leading a sustainability initiative, Naropa provides endless ways to get involved. Our goal is to help you experience fun and fulfilling ways to share your unique talents with our community.
Mindful Traditions and Practices
Mindfulness is the cornerstone of Naropa’s culture, woven into every aspect of campus life. Two beloved traditions include:
The Naropa Bow
Community Practice Day
These traditions reflect our commitment to wisdom, compassion, and interconnectedness. They’re at the heart of who we are and what we do.
