Built whatWe Couldn’t Find.

Brendan Furnari has spent nearly two decades in education as a special educator, mentor, SEL coach, and school leader in both public and international schools. He holds a master’s degree in education from Southern Oregon University, California credentials in educational leadership and special education, and is a Certified Jungian Life Coach.

Over the years, he had the privilege of working alongside remarkable educators in some of the finest public and private schools in the world. He saw extraordinary teaching and the power of strong relationships, thoughtful curriculum, and dedicated mentors. These experiences shaped him deeply. Yet there was something he could not ignore.

Too often, he watched students sit hunched over, glassy-eyed in front of their screens, counting down the days until summer break, when the real adventures with family could begin. His own children were no exception.

Again and again, he saw that some of the moments that most transformed students happened outside the classroom walls. Outdoor education trips, service learning, unstructured time in nature. The experiences students talked about years later were rarely worksheets, tests, or lectures. They were challenges and moments of genuine discovery that sparked curiosity, built resilience, and stayed with them long after.

As his family began living and traveling abroad, that realization deepened. Backpacking in Patagonia. Floating the Río Azul. Traveling the Amazon by riverboat, learning from local guides, historians, artists, and communities around the world. These experiences did not supplement their education. They were their education.

Illuminated Path International Academy was born from that conviction. IPIA is the school he could not find.