Every school has someone who quietly holds things together. The person students drift toward without realizing it. At Mission High School, that person is Chandra Sivakumaran, the school’s Wellness Coordinator.
The soft, steady clicking of a keyboard pulls a student from their seat in the Wellness Center. Following the sound, they peek into the only open office door. Inside, a mix of framed and unframed photographs fills the walls—graduates, coworkers, and family. Chandra sits in his black swivel chair, typing away, surrounded by color and life. His desk holds a few pens and the latest book club book, never far from reach.
Over time, his office has become a small kind of refuge. The notes on his door—thank-yous, drawings, inside jokes—say everything about what he means to students. Chand, in South Asian languages, means moon, and that fits. He’s steady and kind of luminous in a quiet way, especially when he talks about giving everyone a fair chance.
The saying “A jack of all trades” first appeared in the 1600s, when “Jack” meant “any person.” Back then, it was a compliment. The longer version—“A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one”—praised people who could do many things well (Nichols). Somewhere along the way, the second half got lost. But Chandra’s life brings the original meaning back.
Chandra grew up moving between places and expectations. His dad studied medicine, and Chandra often compared himself to that standard of “smart.” For a long time, he felt like he couldn’t keep up. But instead of shrinking into that feeling, he branched out—sports, clubs, surfing, anything that caught his attention.
It wasn’t always smooth. His ADHD made things messy, especially before he was diagnosed in college. But the same energy that made focus difficult also helped him connect with others. He knows what it feels like to be scattered, to not have it all together. That’s why students trust him. He gets it.
Now in SFUSD, Chandra manages the biggest wellness center and staff than, “any other high school,” starts clubs, and shapes Mission’s Wellness Center into a space where people actually want to be. His energy is this mix of calm and motion—grounded but never still. There’s always something happening around him, and somehow it never feels rushed.
That’s the thing about Chandra. He’s both things at once—steady and spontaneous, patient and impulsive, easygoing and intense. Psychologists call it the extremity effect—how we remember people who hold contradictions. Chandra doesn’t fit into one category. He’s just real.
Maybe that’s why he stands out. Being a “jack of all trades” isn’t about being everywhere at once—it’s about being open. Chandra shows that being kind doesn’t mean being simple. It means being human, fully and honestly.
Works Cited
Nichols, John G. The Progresses, Processions, and Magnificent Festivities of King James the First. Vol. 1, London, 1828.
“Jack of All Trades.” Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, 2025.
