Shiv earned a B.A. in Neuroscience from the University of Pennsylvania before pursuing an M.A. in Dance Anthropology from the University of Roehampton in London on a Fulbright Award, where his research explored gender, queerness, and storytelling within Indian classical dance and earned him the department’s Best Dissertation Award. He went on to earn his M.D. from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Before joining Command Education, he advised students on the medical school admissions process, guided international students through college counseling and ACT/SAT prep, and supported students with college essay writing. He has also developed and piloted two novel mental health curricula for LA USD public schools—one through UCLA’s Department of Psychiatry and another through UCLA’s Center for East-West Medicine. Shiv has worked with children and adolescents since college, from volunteering in pediatric departments to running an after-school arts program at Penn teaching theater, voice, instruments, and dance. As a professional Kathak dancer and filmmaker, his work has premiered internationally, including his film Turbinado at the Manifest Festival in Pondicherry, India’s only international festival dedicated to dance films. Throughout his career, Shiv has been driven by a love of helping students uncover what they’re naturally drawn to and empowering them to pursue it further.