Executive Director

For the past fifteen years, Jake Czuper has had the opportunity to teach students of varying ages from preschool to college in both formal and informal educational settings. With a B.A. in Psychology, and Masters degree in education and special education, he has always been fascinated in merging these two fields of studies together to best impact the lives of youth. Aside from his work in education, Jake is also an accomplished guitarist, pianist, singer-songwriter, music producer, video producer, and children’s entertainer and has toured the world for years inspiring youth with his catchy music and engaging concerts. Jake believes in the power of music and believes that education is most impactful when it is combined with catchy music and interactive experiences for students.

After personally losing two childhood friends to mental illness and after seeing many students plagued with low-self esteem, anxiety, and depression over the years, he started the Shine Your Diamond Foundation with a single bold question: What can be done to proactively fight against youth mental illness? Could creating products and programs based on the science of happiness and wellbeing and the power of entertainment be leveraged to promote mental health and empower our youth to be happy and healthy? With a bold dream, and an expert team in place, the Shine Your Diamond Foundation was founded to do just that. We continue our dream each day by running our flagship programs and by creating engaging books, catchy music, and entertaining videos that are beloved to children around the globe. We love seeing kids learn to shine their own diamonds and gain the tools to lead happy and healthy lives. We appreciate you visiting our site, and we invite you to reach out, partner, and connect with us as we are all on the same team here!