Jason Jackl

Faculty - English, Pleasant Hill Campus

Jay Jackl was born and raised in the East Bay Area, where he attended College Park High School. Post-graduation, he studied at Diablo Valley College (where he currently teaches) for several years before taking time off of school to pursue a career in music. He played, wrote, and recorded music, and traveled the world as a professional musician for many years, returning to DVC in 2008 to resume his studies, ultimately transferring to UC Berkeley in 2010 to earn his Bachelor of Arts degree in English. Soon thereafter, he earned his Master of Arts in Literature in English from San Francisco State University. While enrolled at SFSU (where he also currently teaches), he completed certificate programs in the Teaching of Postsecondary Reading and Composition, respectively.

Jay's graduate research work focuses on African American history, literature, and culture. He has presented work on authors such as Toni Morrison and Ishmael Reed at national conferences and is currently continuing his research and writing on marginalized communities and social justice issues in the U.S. and beyond. While still active in the Bay Area music scene, Jay loves helping students strengthen their abilities and expand their horizons as critical thinkers, readers, and authors.