Andrea Niestas

Biography

After graduating from Arvin High School and CSU Bakersfield, I continued my education and started my professional career in San Diego. I have 23 years of experience in different clinical settings – outpatient, residential and schools – with much of my experience in an inpatient behavioral health hospital. At the hospital, I worked for 15 years as a manager, creating various training programs. I joined the Behavioral Sciences department at Bakersfield College in the spring of 2023. Along with the development of staff educational programs, I have previous experience as a teaching assistant and as an adjunct faculty at the University of San Diego.

My areas of greatest interest have been assessment and diagnosing, helping individuals with severe mental illness, suicide awareness and prevention, mental illness awareness and advocacy, and teaching others. I also have a passion for giving to others, recognizing individuals for their accomplishments or resilience, and helping tell stories of extraordinary people – all in the hopes of inspiring others. My life goal is to help spread acceptance, give to others, and to support others to believe in themselves. As an educator, I aspire to not just teach concepts, but to help foster personal accountability, confidence, and positivity.