David Mahlaku

David’s high school in Durban, South Africa was a bit different from Sonoma Academy. “It was a very strict environment, very rigid—you knew you weren’t ever allowed to ask any ‘whys,’” he says. “When I got here, I was amazed—I didn’t know that a high school experience like this existed. Students here are given freedom to explore, and it’s okay to make mistakes. I love that!”

When he arrived in the US in 2013, David spent time traveling the US and visiting his parents in Tennessee before ending up in Sonoma County. He enrolled at Santa Rosa Junior College and then transferred to Sonoma State, where he majored in Communications and Media Studies. He graduated in 2017 and came to work with us shortly thereafter.

In his role at Sonoma Academy, David wears two hats: he assists with audio/visual production, and he also serves as Technology support for the IT and Facilities teams in maintaining technology systems throughout the school. “I love helping people —fixing their equipment makes them really happy!” he says. “And it is fascinating to have the chance to learn so much about new technologies—not just computers and software, but all the intricate tech that supports our buildings and Geothermal systems.”

David lives in Santa Rosa with his wife and two cats, Buddy and Bow. He enjoys traveling the world—he's been to nine different countries in the past nine years—speaks multiple languages, and volunteers each year in Rwanda and Ethiopia with an NGO called Visiting Orphans. He loves to watch documentary films, spend time outdoors, attend theater productions, and play cricket with a group in the Peninsula.