Darshana is the daughter of immigrants who moved to California when she was a teen. After losing her mother suddenly at age 14, Darshana was drawn to the medical and health research fields. Darshana earned a B.A. in Biochemistry at Occidental College and a Ph.D. in Biophysics from the University of California, Irvine. Following a successful career in biotechnology research, Darshana worked to find other ways to give back to her community.

In 2016, as the Poway Unified School District struggled because of financial mismanagement and criminal embezzlement, Darshana ran for school board to get the district back on track. As an elected Trustee, Darshana has helped restore effective governance and fiscal responsibility to the Poway Unified School District, while guiding local schools through the COVID-19 pandemic. Voters overwhelmingly reelected Darshana in 2020. In addition to her work on the School Board, Darshana serves on the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs, as President of the San Diego County School Boards Association, as a member of the San Diego County Democratic Party Central Committee, as a CADEM Delegate, and as a member of the SDPD Northeastern Division Captain’s Advisory Board. Darshana has previously held executive positions on the Rancho Peñasquitos Planning Board, Rancho Peñasquitos Town Council, Park Village Elementary School PTA and Education Foundation Board.

Darshana, her husband, and their three daughters live in San Diego. Darshana’s campaign announcement can be found here.