Devaki Hope

My educational journey began at Kiddy Bear preschool in the once- rural Chiang Mai, Thailand. My family moved there when I was just 1 years old, and the 13 years we spent there shaped me into the person I am today. I then moved schools and started kindergarten at Chiang Mai International School, the school I would spend 9 years at and where most of my childhood friends and memories were formed. Going to an international school and being surrounded by a surplus of cultures and unique people with various interesting backgrounds enriched my life and perspective on the world. I still keep in contact with the many role models I had as teachers and parents of friends. The school had a rich community with a concrete understanding and interest in the various cultures that provided the foundation of a healthy and engaging learning environment. 

During my time at CMIS (Chiang Mai International School), my family would occasionally return back to California for a semester at a time (6 months every 2 or 3 years). We came back for different reasons every time, the most common one was to get away from the deathly pollution season that highly affected my older brother's asthma. Other times we came back to the states so my parents could open pop up shops for the holidays, which I have fond memories of helping set up and organize products. While in California me and my brother went to Live Oak Waldorf Charter School, where we learnt unconventional skills such as how to ride a unicycle, play the violin, knit, cooking, and agricultural classes. As a child it was always difficult for me to miss out on certain parts of my friends lives but for the most part I am grateful for the amount of traveling I’ve done.

We moved to the UK in 2018, where I started to study for my GCSEs at the average public secondary british school, Gillotts. Although I’m half English, I never went to a british school or had very many british friends so the culture shock was quite hard for me to adapt to. The school uniforms and strict, unnecessary policies did not cater to my learning style so I transferred to a performing arts school called JAM Academy. Here, I featured in several musical productions through dance, song and drama. This was a very small school, I had only 9 people in my class but that made it easy for my teachers to focus on my individual needs. I studied dance intensely while going to JAM studying Monday through Saturday. At school they included guitar lessons, music production and our once a week self reflection and understanding class called Soul Food. 

After my GCSEs I traveled to the South of Spain with my Mom to study Spanish and flamenco dance in depth for a few months. I’ve been dancing flamenco since I was 7 years old, it has been my passion for as long as I can remember. Towards the end of this trip was when covid- 19 hit. I returned back to the UK for the summer then moved back to California with my Mom, where I started at Casa Grande highschool. I expected to have my first regular Highschool experience but to my disappointment, all classes were online. I started off the year strong and motivated, but I gradually began to lose interest and failed to apply and pursue any of my past interests. My family always recognized my struggle with traditional education and somehow stumbled across Pacific Sans. We collectively decided it would be best for me to graduate early so I can truly begin my journey. This program allowed me to finish school while still being creative and pursuing my many interests and somewhat chaotic lifestyle. Shauna has been incredibly understanding and influential while guiding me through and helping me find my callings. Thank you for that.