She’s also been invited as a guest author to teach at Naropa University's Summer Writing Program (1996, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2008), Columbia College – Chicago - (spring semester 2003), Brown University (2001), and the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop Summer Program, (1998).
Founded in 1974 by Tibetan Buddhist teacher and Oxford University scholar Chögyam Trungpa, it is named for the eleventh-century Indian Buddhist sage Naropa, an abbot of Nalanda.
Milarepa's lama was Marpa, a.k.a. 'Marpa the Translator,' whose guru (teacher or lama) was Naropa, who's guru was, in turn, Tilopa.
During her time at Naropa, Santo served as apprentice for Alan Ginsberg, helping organize his library and materials, and came into contact with Anne Waldman, Diane DiPrima, Gregory Corso and other poets loosely associated with the Beat poetry movement.