Growing up in NYC, Varda studied music and dance; lived in Israel/Palestine, then came to New Mexico in 1975 to live at Lama Foundation, a universal spiritual community near Taos.  Moving to Santa Fe in 1980, a single mother, she raised her son here - he’s a Santa Fe County paramedic and firefighter.  With K-12 licensure, she worked in Santa Fe and Albuquerque as substitute and humanities teacher.  A student and practitioner of arts, music, and spiritual/cultural traditions, mediation and reconciliation, she cares deeply about people and is committed to creating a life that we love for all people and the world.