About me

Hi! I'm Uma. I grew up in the East Bay, California with my parents and little sister. I started babysitting for my sister's friends when I was 10, so I've been doing this pretty much my whole life! I started playing piano at 5, and drums at 11, and when I entered high school my entire life was music. I was in every ensemble my school offered: jazz, marching, you name it. My love of music ended up translating to musical theatre, which is what I pursued at the University of Miami after I graduated high school. Throughout university, I was giving voice and piano lessons to students back in California via FaceTime. After I graduated, I moved to New York and began working at the Atlantic Theater Company.

I've worked with many different families since I've been in New York. The first family I worked with had a 2 and 6 year-old. When we weren't out, we'd make puzzles, play dinosaurs, and do science experiments. When the pandemic hit, I started as a private educator for an amazing family with a 5 and 7 year-old. I was with them for two years, eventually getting them into one of the best private schools in the city. I created a curriculum that worked through all the usual subjects, but also included piano, art history, and improv. We would plan 1- or 2-day long field trips, exploring the city through urban hiking and finding every street fair in the 5 boroughs. Through the Atlantic, I'm CPR and First Aid certified, and have worked with children with special needs. I also teach summer camps for creators ages 5-8, where we play games, have snacks, and learn about theater. And after studying in Miami for 4 years, I'm also fluent in Spanish.

I work as an actor, but I've always found myself coming back to working with kids, and that's for a multitude of reasons. I love watching younger kids turn into real people, with real opinions and points of view. I've never operated under the idea that babysitting is tough because "you go a whole day without talking to an adult", because my favorite conversations are the ones I have with kids. They're funny, insightful, and kind, and I find myself learning from the kids I babysit just as much as they learn from me.