Marah officially joined our Middle Way School team in the Summer of 2024 but has been involved in MWS since 2019 when her daughter Nava enrolled. Her son Itamar enrolled in 2021. A vibrant member of the Parent Community Association and a founding member of the Dharma Committee, she has also played a key role in the school’s grassroots fundraising efforts. Working as a research assistant with Middle Way Education since 2022, she has further broadened her perspective on modern Buddhist education for children.

I am a mother of two students at MWS. Motherhood, in great part, is what led me to a Buddhist path. Because of the school’s dharma offerings for families—the Five Wisdom Pathway Program; the Dharma Committee; visits from Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, Shugen Roshi, and Chagdud Khadro—my previous connections all settled into place with new ones.  I have since become a student of Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche. I am deeply in awe of and full of gratitude for this precious human life, and all beings on this path. I feel the preciousness of each moment on this earth. Flowering meadows, salty ocean air, spring flower blooms, and the smell of my childrens’ freshly bathed skin bring me pure delight. 

I was raised in the public education systems of the Pacific Northwest and studied Art History at Western Washington University. After many years traveling the world working in fashion and textile design, living in Southern California and the New York area, I shifted my focus to full-time motherhood. I celebrate parenting as one of the greatest dharma practices, and cheerfully advocate for this role to be considered a valued facet of any career path despite the capitalistic emphasis we often encounter. 

My career has focused on presenting ideas of self expression so that they can be received with a deep understanding of intention. I delight in fostering relationships to support worthy projects, igniting philanthropic potential for the greater good. 

I am excited to bring my diverse background to serve MWS as the Development Coordinator. I aspire to share the joy I feel for the school—and its mission to create a model of non-sectarian Buddhist education for children—with the local and global community we strive to serve. 

May the wisdom and compassion generated here benefit all beings.