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Zeba and Rusty Savage
Co-Founders
We started as friends and colleagues at Crenshaw High School, and evolved into a family of unschoolers. Five years into our learning journey together, we, with our children, opened the Savage Learning Environment as an expansion of our unschooling journey and as an invitation to our neighboring families to learn in community. We are humbled and grateful to be in our 20th year of marriage and our 5th year of hosting this village learning space for many beautiful humans of all ages.
Zeba Savage
Co-Director and Learning Facilitator
As a leader, I am often listening, observing, relationship-building, questioning, imagining, collaborating with community, researching and resourcing, creatively designing and reflecting. While the heart of my time is spent with my family and our learning environment, I also coach and facilitate courses for homeschooling and unschooling parents, and I facilitate CGI (Cognitively Guided Instruction) professional development for elementary school educators in partnership with the UCLA Mathematics Project. I treasure years of many lovely memories with the teenagers and families from my public school teaching career in the California cities of Richmond and Los Angeles. In my alone time, I am tending to my garden, relishing moments of quiet, cooking up a storm, walking in the fresh air, and staring at the birds.
Arnold "Rusty" Savage
Co-Director and Learning Facilitator
I am a former public school teacher in History, Special Education, and Career Planning, with a degree in African American History from the University of New Mexico. My professional career spans a wide range of interests and expertise, from being the proprietor of Speezy Art Gallery and Little Ethiopia Herbal Healing Center, to working as a grip technician on various films and shows, including How to Get Away with Murder and the Spiderman series. I am an avid reader of history and philosophy and a music lover. I am down to play chess anytime, and I believe that there is no distance too far for me to walk.
Kira Buckley
Learning Facilitator
I've been a holistic health practicioner and spiritual healer for over a decade. As a former High School and College English professor, I expanded my passion into the field of nutrition counseling, reiki and shamanic energy healing, meditation and breathwork; which is what led me to pursue an Integrative Medicine degree in San Diego,CA and Austin, TX - with a focus in acupuncture and clinical herbal therapy. I am currently cultivating my beautiful life as a clinical herbalist, writer and small business owner with my partner and two daughters; facilitating self-care retreats, offering private healing sessions and spiritual development classes to corporate and small business individuals, holding sacred space and rest portals for healers and creatives, providing Concierge Doula services to wild and wise mamas and embracing the alchemy of life as an authority on intentional joy and blissful living ... daily.
Dominique Pearson
Learning Facilitator
"everything everywhere all at once."
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we are all made of so much. i am a daughter, granddaughter, sibling, friend, blessing in disguise, an herbal activisit, a rootworker, a grower.
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a healer, a medicine person. a poet.
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alive.
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West coast raised with deep Mississippi River roots.
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Queer Black Native Two - Spirit woman
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a lover, a fighter. my ancestors' wildest dreams running free.
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Zuleyma Valentin
Learning Facilitator
Currently a history student at Long Beach State University, I am a curious mind with empathetic strength, and I understand the importance of a child’s agency. I strive to help children find happiness and independence in their bodies. I am fluent in Spanish and certified in CPR. My previous employment was as an intern at the Tutoring Center corporation in Long Beach, offering management assistance. As well as having the honor of being a caregiver for a child with physical and mental differences. I enjoy collaging, and I describe it as controlled chaos for feelings and ideas. I am an avid traveler wanting to experience as much life as possible.
Asha Sun
Learning Facilitator
I am a local Entrepreneur in the community who also happens to be an Auntie, Crystal Healer, Jeweler, Artist, Student & above all Creative Advocate for our Youth & Their Future. Being that I am self taught in most trades, I’ve learned a lot through experience, trial & error. A few years ago, I found myself overwhelmed by society’s expectations, juggling school & work. Drowning doing what others expected of me versus doing what I could to honor self & my lineage. Life shifted when I became a hands on Auntie. I found a sweet balance in creating anything and everything - food, art, music, peace & happiness. Then it was clear, I am a Peace Producer.
Being a Crystal Healer, I help people tap into deeper layers and channels of themselves for personal growth & evolution. By providing insight and a reflective awareness, others may become more mindful of their personal broadcast to make necessary adjustments. Through studying a variety of healing and soothing remedies for many of life’s complexities, I’ve discovered that we as a collective can raise the vibrations around us. It is vital that all levels of community come together to secure a prosperous future for the children here & coming. Working with Savage Learning Environment allows me to learn from wise mothers and divine starseeds on how to better show up for all parts of our community. Being here, my objective is to honor & inspire our young starseeds to be, do, feel, & create. Though we all walk our own Path, I honor our collective Journey!
Arnold Savage
Stephen Redman
Learning Facilitator
I am an active community member with a background in music and education. I am the Director of Education at Project43LA, and I provide security with WeAreAfricaTown Coalition for local activist groups such as Downtown Crenshaw and African Village Vendors Association.
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I do a lot of community outreach as a member of the Los Angeles hub of Black Men Build. I also attend and volunteer at the Second AME Church where I do video and play drums. I grew up in South LA, attended Bowling Green State University in Ohio, and returned to the home I love. I am dedicated to keeping my community thriving.
Tyler Morgan
Learning Facilitator
I am a Serenity Specialist. I harmoniously fuse together massage therapy, medicinal movement and herbalism to support people in their journey of ease and wellbeing. I am a mother of one. I was raised as a care taker; from supporting my great grandmother in the social and emotional development of the foster children in her care to supporting my mother with the operation and art curriculum for her small childcare business.
My BFA degree is in photography from the School of Visual Arts. Attending art school provided me with the opportunity to develop a unique lens of self awareness and an appreciation for the insightful power of connection and collaboration.
As a Montessori educator at Casa de Paz Montessori, I led movement, gardening, and apothecary classes and was the Guide for the Spanish Immersion classroom. While there, we trained extensively on the core principles of the Montessori pedagogy and Conscious Discipline - a method based on the brain's need for safety, connection, and problem solving. This means of discipline empowers us to teach children from a young age effective ways to name their emotions, gain tools for regulating them and develop compassionate problem solving skills.
Arnold Savage
Najara Apraku
Learning Facilitator
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I specialize in catering to each person as an individual and honoring each one’s unique learning styles.
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Tasha Grimes
Learning Facilitator
Drawing and painting has always been my first love. In college, I took up graphic design as a sensible and safe creative job. I did that for years and made a good name for myself locally, helping many businesses with branding and logos. I even got some national coverage for a logo I created for a restaurant featured on The Food Network. I also landed in many fashion shows with designs of my own line and many other clothing lines in my hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. As part of a city plan to revamp downtown Louisville, I had the honor of creating murals for Jefferson Technical Community College and for Change Today, Change Tomorrow, a Black-women led nonprofit organization dedicated to making change in education, food justice and public health.
Over 7 years ago, I started sharing my creative joys as an Art Instructor for numerous organizations and school districts including JCPS, LAUSD, LBUSD and CUSD. Through art and creative healing sessions, I get to support the youth in protecting their inner creative child. I love opening avenues for them to speak their intelligence as conscious and radical creatives.