Meet The Founders

Michelle Garcia has been in Education for over 18 years.  Michelle started her teaching career at UC Berkeley, where she double-majored in Economics and Dance, through a program called ArtsBridge, an organization that connects UC student artists with K-12 underserved communities. After graduation, she started her career teaching math and dance in the Bay Area at Drew College Prep.  Moving to Southern California, Michelle obtained her MBA from Pepperdine University while teaching math and dance to middle school students at Willow Preparatory School in Culver City.  Michelle was Director of Oxford Street Dance, a non-profit she co-founded with a college friend after her time with the Bay Area Repertory Dance Company.  After many teaching years, she transitioned to being a school Administrator.  Most recently, Michelle was Assistant Head of School for MUSE School in Calabasas where she oversaw the finances, operations, HR and staff. 

During the Pandemic, Michelle started a pod at her house with three other families and one teacher and named it Vida School.  It was during this year Michelle realized Vida School could grow beyond the nine students she began with in her home and set out a plan to bring Vida to what it is today.  Michelle, Randi and Leslie, and a great team of board members, all who share her passion for fostering curiosity, nurturing learning, and creativity, then breathed life into Vida School through practical application of the philosophy - if you believe it, anything is possible. 

As a founder of Vida School, Michelle believes in educating children to be curious in their learning, uniquely individual, and joyfully creative.  Vida School practices and implements the belief that students should be recognized for who they are now and for all that they will grow up to be.

Randi Kearney is a passionate and dedicated educator with over 15 years of experience in Education.  Randi has two Bachelor's degrees from NYU, her Early Childhood units from UCLA  and a Master's degree in Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership from the University of Illinois.  Randi spent ten years in the classroom before eventually moving into administrative roles.  She believes the most joyful education is one that follows the child's lead, takes their interests into account and allows them to explore their world while gaining a love of learning.  Randi has presented nationally at SXSW Edu on ingraining "Passion Based Learning" into early childhood education.  She has also presented internationally through the HundrEd organization on how to implement sustainable practices into school programs.  Randi won the Smotrich Award for excellence in teaching from the Bureau of Jewish Education.  She is also a HundrEd ambassador and works with this international organization to pin-point and recognize impactful innovations in the world of education.  Randi has written several articles that have been published in Education Journals around the world.  When she is not teaching or writing about education, she loves reading, puzzles, trying new restaurants, and spending time with her husband and two children.

Although born on the East Coast and a New Yorker at heart, she quickly fell in love with the West Coast living of California. Leslie studied at Los Angeles Pierce College and WVOC in Early Childhood Education and brings with her 25 years of experience in providing an educational, nurturing, inviting environment tailored for every child’s individual needs.  Prior to becoming an educator, Leslie worked as a children's counselor at a domestic violence shelter for women with children. Ultimately her passion for connection, empowerment and awareness brought her to become an educator for the generations to come. Her open-minded approach to education led to creating a strong, fun-loving curriculum that incorporated a harmonious balance of academics and creativity by blending both traditional and progressive techniques. Leslie's fervor for self and community awareness evolved as she became the school's official Safety & Pandemic Coordinator. From evacuation drills to contact tracing, this position provided Leslie to prepare, support and lead her community during emergencies and tumultuous times.  When not connecting and inspiring with little souls, she continues to share her passion with the big ones! Leslie is an avid martial artist and practitioner in Gracie Jiu Jitsu where she carries her blue belt and is a Gracie Women Empowered Self-Defense Instructor