Dipali Vaughan immigrated to Columbia from London, UK where she lived for over 25 years. Dipali grew up in Kenya where she completed her middle school, she then moved to the UK to continue her high school studies and obtained a BA in Decorative Arts from Nottingham Trent University. She has a broad and varied career history from working in the retail industry as a visual merchandiser and sales manager, to managing an art gallery and working with art publishers and contemporary artists from around the world, to an exciting career in design and manufacturing working as a toy designer and product developer. While working as a toy designer she lived in Hong Kong for almost 3 years working directly with toy manufacturers and suppliers. This diverse experience in industry gave her a solid platform on which to build her teaching career. She completed a Teach First Leadership Development programme and obtained her postgraduate teaching certification in Design & Technology from Canterbury Christ Church University and a Masters in Leadership from University College London.
Dipali has worked at R2i2 as a long-term substitute. What she loves most about R2i2 is that it provides students amazing opportunities to explore their capabilities and release their potential. The courses are designed to broaden student’s horizons, teachers foster a love for learning and nurture achievement and students strive to be the best that they can be. She is very excited to be joining the team and looks forward to working with students from all the Richland Two high schools. One of Dipali’s favorite quotes is: “Every child deserves a champion—an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be” – Rita Pierson
