Andrea Dyrness

Andrea Dyrness is an Associate Professor in the Educational Foundations, Policy & Practice department at the University of Colorado Boulder, affiliated with Anthropology and Ethnic Studies. Her research focuses on transnational Latinx and Caribbean communities, citizenship formation, and social justice education. She has conducted fieldwork in the U.S., El Salvador, Spain, and Denmark, emphasizing participatory methods.

• PhD in Social and Cultural Studies in Education (University of California, Berkeley)
• MA and B.A. in Anthropology/Educational Studies (UC Berkeley and Brown University)

Her work explores how marginalized youth navigate citizenship across borders, with a focus on critical consciousness and activism. Recent projects include the Cultural Mentoring Program at CU, fostering critical consciousness among Latinx students. She co-authored Border Thinking: Latinx Youth Decolonizing Citizenship, recognized with the 2020 Outstanding Book Award.

Teaching includes qualitative methods, anthropology of education, and transnational education policies. She serves as Faculty Director of CU’s Cultural Mentoring Program and is a NEPC Fellow.

• Key Awards: 2020 Outstanding Book Award (AAA’s Council on Anthropology & Education)

Her advocacy extends through service roles like Board Member of the Strachan Foundation (since 2001), supporting Central American education initiatives.