Irene Kiebert:
CLASS OF 1964
San Bernardino High SchoolClass of 1964
San bernardino, CA
University High SchoolClass of 1964
Los angeles, CA
Irene's Story
Life
After Berkeley ('68) I lived in NY City & London, UK, for several years, then San Francisco for 10 yrs, & since May 1990 have been living a few minutes north of Berkeley.
Michael, also a retired lawyer, & I have an unconventional domestic arrangement & a blended family of 8 adult children (counting acquired kids) & 7 grandchildren --plus a few honorary grandchildren.
Die-hard leftist politics, marched vs all the wars over the yrs and oppose the next one, too.
Devout neo-Pagan, a Witch & Priestess in the Reclaiming tradition, I celebrate the Turning of the Wheel of the Year (Solstices. Equinoxes, and holidays in between) plus traditional Thanksgiving with about 30 family and friends, and sometimes Passover.
Still a humorless feminist.
Have studied ASL & worked & played in Deaf culture.
Support Planned Parenthood, NARAL, Forests Forever, Emily's List, NAMI, Amnesty International & progressive Democrats.
Have season tickets to American Conservatory Theatre in SF and to Berkeley Repertory Theatre.
Our house is as "green" as we can make it: solar panels, native plants garden, gray water system, rainwater catchment system, permaculture principles applied in garden that includes fruit trees, flowers, & veggies.
We have two cats, Sara and Dipity and many, many blessings.
Travel
I go to various countries in Europe 1-3 times a year mostly because of family and dear friends there. Most often go to England, Switzerland, France, and Norway. Michael and I try to do one big "adventure/education travel" trip each year, & so far that's included Antarctica, India, Chile, and southern Africa (South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana), and China. Have had teaching gigs this millennium in Belgium, England, Denmark, Ireland, Australia, and Turkey. Love Hawaii, go to Maui from time to time.
School
Went to Arrowview JHS, then to SBHS, but left after junior year when my family moved to West ...Expand for more
LA, so I actually graduated from University High. But I feel most connected to SBHS b/c lived in SB for 6 yrs, longest my family lived anywhere.
B.A. from UC Berkeley, June 1968 -- but attended Columbia U & Hunter College in NYC, spring 1968, with credits applied to Berkeley degree.
J.D. from UC Hastings College of Law, June 1982, though first year was at Brooklyn Law School.
Certificate for teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language from UC Berkeley Extension in 2007.
Work
Semi-retired since 2008, with part-time 2nd career teaching Legal English & Human Rights English to international lawyers & professionals, usually in other countries. Volunteer as mentor with Alliance for International Women’s Rights. During election seasons, Voter Protection volunteer in Nevada.
In 2018 I merged by own little business, Legal English International, with a similar one based in London, UK.
1986-2008 was an attorney in CA, most of the time doing appellate criminal defense, handling primarily death penalty appeals. Was a staff attorney at the Office of the State Public Defender for about 16 yrs. Just after law school I was a law clerk at the state Court of Appeal for a couple of years.
Before law school I worked in NYC as a waitress, and in London, England, for four years in the mid-70s I was a social worker with the Deaf, for which I learned British Sign Language.
Before that, I worked in New York City as a "family counselor" in a day care center on the lower east side (10th St & Ave D) & as a social worker (no MSW degree) in foster care. Also did a 9-month stint as a social work trainee in foster care & adoption in Southern Illinois.
And in my youth (i.e. 20s) I worked in NYC as a stage manager & production coordinator, was a day care workers' Union rep, and was involved as a volunteer at Washington Square Methodist Church, a radical church and hotbed of progressive politics.
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