2025 GRADUATION DAY @ THE EAST SIDE INSTITUTE

Join us for a joyful and inspiring celebration! Hear from this year’s International Class graduates—from Kenya, India, Morocco, Argentina, Nigeria, Canada, and the U.S.—who have spent the last 9 months building community, challenging old paradigms, and creating new possibilities for change in classrooms, clinics, theaters, activist spaces, and beyond.

Meet The 2025 International Class Graduates

• Top Row Photo: Natasha Gupta (USA), Jamila Harrad, Levi Corrêa Lopes, Diksha Lamba 
• Bottom Row Photo: Wycliffe Barasa, Jideonwo Perpetual Onyinye, Susan Hillyard, Carolyn Sealfon, Diane Adrian Smith, Chantelle Lloyd

Wycliffe Barasa (Kenya) is the founder of Kosi Africa, a non-profit dedicated to nurturing young leaders through education, leadership, and mentorship. Wycliffe is passionate about youth empowerment and environmental conversation. He has successfully mentored over 20,000 students and provided educational support to over 2,500 primary and secondary students.

Natasha Gupta (USA) After spending a decade building a career in technology, Natasha discovered her true passion for healing through her experiences in social therapy. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at Pepperdine University’s Clinical Psychology program, while working as a Senior Product Manager at Disney Streaming. Natasha’s long-term vision is to integrate her business expertise with her passion for mental health.

Jamila Harrad (Morocco) is a community facilitator for Tamkeen Community Foundation for Human Development. Tamkeen’s approach focuses on allowing the expression of the human potential. Jamila believes that love inspires us to be creative and that we can create spaces for learning. She has worked as a primary education program officer in civil society organizations.

Susan Hillyard (Argentina) has a B.Ed. (Hons.) degree from Warwick University, UK. She is a founding member of The Creative Revolution where she is studying with Sir Ken Robinson’s daughter, Kate Robinson, and writing articles and materials for developing a creative revolution worldwide. Her roles in her 52-year career include teacher, department head, teacher trainer, conference webinar and workshop presenter, materials writer, researcher, online tutor, and Theatre in Education consultant. She is Director of SHELTA, Susan Hillyard’s English Language Teachers’ Academy, and a freelance consultant on EMI, PPT, Inclusion and Drama for ELT. She is a graduated Ambassador for the Global Play Brigade and one of the founding members of the Educator’s Salon.

Diksha Lamba (India) has been a theatre practitioner, both as a performer and workshop facilitator, for 17 years. She has served as an assistant professor in English Literature at the University of Delhi. Diksha recently submitted her PhD thesis which explores the intersections of law with theatre and performance to The School of Arts and Aesthetics, Jawaharlal Nehru University. She has curated and taught performance-based courses on Theatre and the Law in National Law Schools in India. She currently volunteers her time at Pandies’ Theatre, an activist theatre group in Delhi.

Chantelle Lloyd (Canada) is a clinical researcher and teacher in London, Ontario. She is passionate about empowering teams to develop trauma informed care practices and early intervention and prevention services. She holds a PhD in Psychology Neuroscience & Behaviour and has authored numerous articles on PTSD and moral injury. Dr. Lloyd currently co-leads Improv for Anxiety groups in London, Ontario with International Class graduate, Jared French.

Jideonwo Perpetual Onyinye (Nigeria) is a teacher, safety instructor/personnel, who teaches food safety and emergency response. A health education and promotion expert. Perpetual holds a Doctorate in Environmental health and safety education. Perpetual is the very first state coordinator for Street Project Foundation’s ARTvocacy movement in Port Harcourt, where she led her team of ARTvocates who used their arts and creativity for an environmental health awareness campaign among waterfront community residents. Perpetual recently started a new career journey in Tech.

Carolyn Sealfon (Canada) is a Visiting Full Professor in Natural Sciences and Computational Sciences at Minerva University. She earned her PhD in physics and astronomy at the University of Pennsylvania and her BA in physics from Cornell University. She is also an alumna of the Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Training Center and a qigong instructor certified by the Wuwei Taichi School. Dr. Sealfon loves co-creativity and serves as program co-chair for the Cultivating Ensembles Conference.

Diane Adrian Smith (USA) is a retired from corporate life with the Settlement Housing Fund and now serves as a community ambassador at East Flatbush Community Partnership where she encourages people to lead joyful lives. Diane draws inspiration from leading The family ministry at her Church and a Parenting Coach in her community in order to encourage young families to recognize the gift in parenting by sharing her own life experiences with domestic violence, losing her first child to medical issues discovered too late. After raising two grown children with the bonus joy of doting over a grandchild, Diane continues to seek ways to advocate to keep families whole. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Nyack College and has previously studied with the Institute.