Experience Your Education & Your Life
“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.”
Naropa at its heart is a verb: To meditate, write, discuss, intern, travel, serve, and grapple with the nature of your own identity, your professors, and the world—that’s Naropa!
Life outside the classroom influences students’ growth and development along with their academic experience.
Academic pursuits integrate seamlessly with—and inform—social endeavors and vice versa. On-campus events regularly include poetry readings and performances, theater and dance productions, art exhibits, musical performances featuring on-campus musicians as well as local and national performers, dances, bands, films and special events.
Quick Facts
339
Undergraduates
Students
755
In Graduate
Programs
Students
34
Of Undergrads
Average Age
13
Average Class
Size
Students
Student Highlight
“My time at Naropa has provided the fundamental tools to actively engage in the transformation of the world and then use that work to profoundly transform myself. I can do both at the same time. That, I believe, is not only a tremendous gift to me, but to an Earth community increasingly in crisis as well.”— Lucas Sego, Religious Studies Graduate
Doers. Poets. Contrarians. Deep listeners. Environmentalists. Yogis. Passport huggers. Change agents. Different drummers.
We are an inclusive community of individuals, all seeking insight, knowledge, and purpose.
Will you sit around on cushions? Sometimes, because it will help you improve everything you do.
But you will also study with world-class writers, artists, and thought leaders. You will write, write, and write some more, wrestling with the material you are learning on and off the mat. Plus you will have the opportunity to intern, volunteer in the community, and study abroad, enhancing your education through experiential learning.
🌼 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.
