Kavita Kaur Atwal is a Licensed Psychologist, Researcher, and Professor. She grew up as a member of the Sikh Sangat of Los Angeles, and is passionate about helping to bridge the gap between the Sikh community and schools. Her research and professional interests are in the areas of bullying prevention, working with culturally and linguistically diverse students, and school systems change.

Currently, Kavita is an Assistant Professor at Cal State University, East Bay, and works as a Nationally Certified School Psychologist in East Side Union High School District. She has had extensive experience in K-12 public schools in San Jose, Chicago, Riverside, Compton, Yucaipa, Glendale, and Huntington Beach. As an Assistant Professor, Licensed Psychologist, School Psychologist, Educationally Related Mental Health Services Provider, and Response to Intervention (RTI)/Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) Specialist, Dr. Atwal has dedicated her career to fostering equity and inclusion for all students.

Kavita served as the Research Partner with the Sikh Coalition on the National Sikh School Climate Report, “Where Are You Really From?” More than 2,000 U.S.-based Sikh students completed the survey, and the report serves as a comprehensive study of bullying and other issues faced by Sikh students. Prior to this report, Kavita has conducted other related research focused on bullying prevention and mental health outcomes of Sikh and AAPI students. 

In addition to her work in schools and research, Kavita previously served as an Executive Committee member of the Asian American Psychological Association (AAPA) and is currently a Board Member of the School Psychology Educators of California (SPEC).