Kristen Hochreiter spent her college years at the University of Pittsburgh, where she earned her Bachelor of Social Work with Certificates in Global and African Studies. During her time at Pitt, Kristen held leadership positions with Facilitating Opportunities for Refugee Growth and Empowerment (FORGE) and Bachelor of Social Work Club, studied abroad in Uganda, and tutored students at Miller African Centered Academy. In her free time, Kristen played the saxophone, clarinet, and piano, and explored the great outdoors. She served at the Acculturation for Justice, Access and Peach Outreach (AJAPO) alongside Jordan West.