Raised in Jackson, MS, Sandi Pumulo Lewanika carries her Zambian-Kenyan American heritage with pride, honoring the legacy of her Zambian mother, who raised her and her sister in dignity and cultural wisdom. This pianist, soprano, professor, and actress earned degrees in Piano Performance from Xavier University of Louisiana and the University of Rhode Island.

Her performances have taken her across the nation and beyond, earning first-place in the DC NANM Piano Competition and Chloe Flower’s POPSICAL Challenge. Today, she serves as Visiting Professor of Music and Artist-in-Residence at Xavier, where she shapes the next generation of musicians.

She has adjudicated the NAACP ACT-SO Competition, founded The Lewanika School, and will soon launch CROWN the Classroom, her humanitarian initiative supporting arts educators. Her service extends to maternal health through the Touro Infirmary Foundation Board and her membership in Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Excellence remains her language and impact her legacy.