I grew up in San Francisco and attended UC Santa Cruz, where I double-majored in psychology and sociology. After college I spent some time working with autistic children before attending graduate school at UC Berkeley, where I got my M.A. in sociology. Before coming to WCC in 2008, I taught sociology at UC Berkeley, University of San Francisco, CSU East Bay, and Diablo Valley College. My own research focused on special education and inequality.
For Fall 2026, my drop-in office hours are on Zoom (https://yccd-edu.zoom.us/my/nilikirschner) or in person on the Woodland Campus, room 863 (my office):
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