Meet our Faculty and Staff

As an educator, Christina Nielsen values co-creating spaces with students and colleagues that are inclusive, safe, and vibrant– places where everyone can connect and learn. Her passion is supporting students in seeing their work as meaningful and relevant, and in viewing themselves as empowered members of their communities. By igniting curiosity and fostering a love of learning, community connection, and individual exploration and expression, her students can expect authenticity, humor, inclusivity, and a space for both safety and challenge.

Christina originally hails from Southern California, where she earned a BA in English from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. During her undergraduate years, she discovered a love of teaching, which led her to pursue and complete a dual credential and master's program at the University of San Diego. She has since taught in San Diego, Los Angeles, and the Bay Area, ultimately finding her home at York in Monterey. She loves the culture of learning here, the authentic and unique students she gets to work with every day, and the talented and dedicated faculty and staff she calls friends and colleagues.

On campus, you can find Christina having tea with her colleagues, talking with students about their favorite horror movies, and walking her border collie, Poppy, through York’s beautiful campus. Outside of school, you might find her in the dance studio, getting lost in the stacks at Bookshop Santa Cruz, reading in her favorite coffee shops, or walking with her partner and their dogs, Poppy, Ralphie, and Meadow.

Christina teaches junior and senior English, including Literature of Horror and Folklore. She advises York’s Literary Magazine, the club that’s also responsible for a biannual Cafe Night, where students share their writing, art, and music. She coadvises York’s queer affinity and ally space, Sexuality and Gender Equality (SAGE), with her colleague Spencer Williams.