By Gabriella Rubio
We’re in Ocean Beach, California, where the grey sky looming overhead begins to burn away, the air is well… earthy, and our eclectic bubble fills with vacationers.
This time we zoom back into the beloved Template coffeehouse on Niagara, a cornerstone and home for many in the community. This summer, this colorful portal hosted a few small, silly and playful creatures in its back garden, looked after them and took them on wild adventures in the great outdoors of OB. This was all by the enchanting and mythical guardian, Miss Chula, accompanied by her magic bus, Rover.
Chula, or more fondly known as ChuChu to the lively kids attending her camps, is the sole founder of Down to Earth Nature School. At the heart of it all is what she calls “Kids Empowered” — a school where radical self-expression is a core value, a place kids feel safe to be their pure, authentic selves and applaud others for doing the same. Where “Odd-Ball” behavior is welcomed, embraced and encouraged, while learning environmental impact and the importance of taking care of the planet. Speaking with her about her vision, you can see the passion bubbling up from within, which makes learning from her all the more fun.
To understand where this vision comes from, let’s go back in time a bit, to Chula’s past. She grew up nannying and being around kids her whole life, surrounded by the support of her parents and sisters. Along the way, she gained entrepreneurial influence from her dad. This led her to San Francisco State, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies with a complimentary degree in Holistic Studies. She went on to earn her teaching credential in 2025.
From there, she followed her passion into philanthropy. She worked at Mercy House Living Centers in Santa Ana, a non-profit aimed at eradicating homelessness, taught dance classes, and even taught English in Indonesia in 2023. Tying her love of philanthropy to family, she helped her cousin start Camp and Cater in Joshua Tree, a campground and music event space used to fund-raise for several non-profits and leadership organizations. Through this work, she was nominated as a Community Service Project Captain at Ascension Leadership Academy, helping raise funds for frontline workers during the pandemic through what they called the “Frontline Hero Fund,” garnering local and national media attention.
This school has been a long-time dream that she did not imagine would come to fruition so early in her life. She was previously working as the Lead Teacher at another nature school when she was unexpectedly laid off, both her and the families feeling the loss. That loss gave her something unexpected: time, energy, and resources she hadn’t had before. In March of this year, she began building her own program, something she describes as liberating.
From this recent liberation, an opportunity for something great came to pass: the story of the magic bus, Rover. Once upon a time, long before Down to Earth Nature School, Rover belonged to Little Shepherds Nature Lab, an after-school program built around regenerative soil health, composting, music, and literacy. Chula had admired the bus from afar for a long time, envisioning that one day she would have it for her own school. Then one day, she saw it was for sale.
A friend, Wes, encouraged her to reach out to the seller, knowing what this dream meant to her. Gina, the previous owner, was thrilled to hear Chula’s vision for her school and Rover, and to see the bus continue its legacy. The two worked out a payment plan to pass on ownership, and what started as a bus sale has grown into a mentorship. Chula now looks to Gina as a source of wisdom as she builds the school.
Today, Rover is still a classroom on wheels and an integral part of the camps, functioning as storage for donated supplies, a spot for snack breaks, and a safe haven for kids to reset after a full day adventuring. Chula says she sees the kids developing a sense of pride and ownership in Rover, showing them the importance of taking care of it.
When asked about her favorite aspects of teaching and running camps, the word “community” is something she continued to circle back to. “Community is a reflection of who we are,” she says. “It is where we discover our own strengths, superpowers, and what we are good at.” For her, teaching goes beyond academics — it’s music, nature, art, and allowing each kid to play their part freely. The foundation, she says, “is creating a safe container for the kids.” Some kids sit back to observe before attempting a task, while others jump right in, and through her school, she’s able to witness and foster each child’s individuality, letting them learn in whatever way works for them.
Rather than choosing one niche focus for the school, she built the curriculum around variety, a foundation of California common core curriculum that moves from the microscopic to the big picture, like watching a single seed grow into a sprout, or chicks grow into full-grown chickens.
But more than any subject, what she hopes kids take home are the things that cannot be graded: life skills and joy. It is an experience they will carry with them long after the camp or school day ends, showing up in how they regulate their own emotions, approach a new challenge, and carry themselves in the world. Creating an immediate impact on the kids she teaches is an investment in the community. They will grow up to be tomorrow’s leaders, and it doesn’t stop with the kids. What they learn ripples outward, reaching not just them, but their families too.
To Chula, this feels like the best way to serve her community. When she sees suffering all over the world and feels unable to physically help heal it, that can feel incredibly helpless. But serving your immediate community, in whatever way you’re capable of, becomes an outlet for the compassion and empathy that pours out of us as we witness our fellow humans in pain, even from far-off countries.
In her own words:
“Oppression thrives when we feel discouraged, when we look at what’s happening in the world and think, ‘there isn’t anything we can do about it.’ Feeling frozen and stuck allows the powers that be to win. But when we fight back with what we have: love, joy, gratitude, and creating beautiful and meaningful things, that’s how we win. We can often feel like we are not doing enough, and when we are blessed and overflowing, we cannot help but serve others and bless everyone around us.”
In that same spirit of showing up for one another, the belief and support from the community means the most to her in moments of doubt, reminding her of what she’s building, and why it matters. “Passing our crafts down and stepping into our elderhood by passing on wisdom and knowledge,” she says. She lives this out by bringing in masters of craft to teach — paid instructors from the community who lead workshops in surf, yoga, art, and farm animal care.
Support continues to pour in, from donations of art supplies, books, telescopes, and games, including a generous supply donation from Professor Kevin, to Shine and Marie, the owners of the Template, whose space she rents for her camps each summer. And from Nathan and Bernie at Good Vibes Ranch out in Jamul, who, in her words, “offer a space for learning in nature, teaching agriculture and animal husbandry, passing down ancient skills and practices” that go beyond a rigid school curriculum.
Looking ahead, there are a few areas where Chula could use more support. Funding is at the top of the list, along with legal aid to help her navigate the ever-changing laws and regulations so the project can last. She’s also searching for a space to park Rover more centrally in San Diego, as well as local farms that could host small groups of kids for up to six hours a day. There, kids would have the opportunity to learn directly from local farmers, and return to the same place season after season, building the kind of consistency that comes with watching something grow over time.
Even while she works on all of that, the school keeps moving forward. Having wrapped up a full summer of camps, Chula has a full program launch planned for this August 24th, when the new school year begins. Classes will run Monday through Friday, 8:45 am to 2:45 pm, in West County. Before then, keep an eye out for a Fundraiser Campout at Good Vibes Ranch in Jamul, date still to be announced, which will include live music, BBQ, and a kids’ paint party.
Beyond the logistics, there’s something deeper she hopes for. Though she’s built all of this as the sole founder, she’d love one day to have a partner in the work, someone willing to make the same sacrifices and take the same risks, to help the school continue to flourish.
And flourishing is the exact word to describe what she is creating. It is an honor to witness first-hand the way she dazzles and lights up, taking on an incredibly infectious energy during her time with these kids. Reading in silly voices and taking on captivating characters at snack time that has the kids giggling and pleading for a re-read.
Chula carries that radiant energy from place to place. Not only is she powerful in that radiance, she is also a nurturer. As playtime under the sun commences, she makes sure every kid is sunscreened, fed, hydrated and ready to hit the beach for laugh-filled adventures. Whether it’s a visit from local friends’ chickens, relay races on the beach, tide pool exploring, or yoga in the open air, she carries her power and love with grace. The environment she cultivates is filled with glimmering joy that stops passersby in their tracks to admire the fun and the great work she is facilitating.
Step into her magic as it unfolds, from story time aboard Rover to the beach and back again. Each storybook adventure must lead to “The End,” as the playful creatures gather their things and wind down before they exit the colorful portal back to their parents. And Rover retires for the night, tidied up and ready to embark on the next magical adventure.
It is hard not to leave the experience changed, sparked with wonder and carrying a little more joy than when you arrived. And maybe that’s the whole point.
As Chula puts it best:
“We are better together and we are making the world a better place. Empower each other and embrace each other’s unique qualities; the ones that create a community in which we can thrive. Do not take it for granted. It’s our duty, responsibility, and obligation to do something powerful and meaningful with the life we get to share with one another.”
Acknowledgements: None of this would be possible without her community, for which she sends out thanks to her parents and sisters, to Brad, founder of the Same Same But Different Festival, and to close friends Wes, Andy, and Vani, for pushing her to pursue this dream with fiery passion. Thanks to her best friend Kyla, a monumental source of emotional support throughout. And, in her words, a final shout-out to “God, him/her/it, spirit in the Sky.”
Stay Connected: Keep an eye on @downtoearthnatureschool on Instagram and at www.downtoearthnatureschool.com for upcoming event dates, and to book Rover for your next event. If you have advice to share or are able to offer assistance in any way, Chula would love to hear from you at Chula@DownToEarthNatureSchool.com.
Gabriella Rubio
