After a stint at Grinnell College and taking a formative class called Theologies of Nonviolence, Kirsten attended the University of MN, Morris where she double majored in Sociology and Human Service, studied abroad at a folk school in Denmark, and recovered Sunday mornings by watching the hip TV show “This week with Sam Donaldson and Cokie Roberts.”

After college Kirsten scored a life changing internship at Highlander Education and Research Center where she got to walk in the footsteps of some of the greatest social justice activists in our nation’s history: Rosa Parks, Stokely Carmichael, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Pete Seeger.

She went to graduate school at The Ohio State University to pursue her interests in social movements and organizational change. After completing her thesis, Kirsten moved back to MN and now teaches General Sociology, Gender in Society, Sociology of Food and Sociology of Power at Anoka-Ramsey Community College in Coon Rapids, MN. During the Spring 2017 semester, Kirsten spearheaded a bystander intervention initiative on campus to promote dialogue and action when students observe bullying, harassment, or the threat of harassment.