Sandhya Dirks

Sandhya Dirks is a seasoned journalist and National Correspondent at NPR, specializing in race and identity since 2012. Sandhya has extensive experience as a freelance reporter at KQED, focusing on race and equity related to housing, criminal justice, and poverty, as well as contributing to the investigative documentary podcast On Our Watch. Sandhya served as a Visiting Lecturer at Mills College, teaching advanced public radio reporting, and has held various roles at KALW Public Radio, including reporter, producer, and editor, while mentoring students. Sandhya has also worked as a Metro Reporter at KPBS, covering significant political stories, and as a General Assignment Reporter at Iowa Public Radio, where various topics, including diversity and mental health, were addressed. Sandhya's early career includes a fellowship at Columbia University for an investigative documentary on international adoption and roles at KALW working on long-form investigations. Sandhya holds a Master of Science in Broadcast Journalism from Columbia University and a Bachelor's degree in English Literature and Critical Theory from Mills College.