Kalia is an effective and compassionate teacher. She has completed residencies across K-12 institutions, from the poorest school districts in the nation to some of the wealthiest schools in the world. Kalia has taught in the Columbia University Our Word Workshops, at Concordia University-St. Paul, St. Catherine’s University, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, North Hennepin Community College, Century College, Carleton College, as visiting faculty at Randolph’s Low-Res MFA Program, and was faculty with Wilkes University. She was the Edelstein-Keller Writer-in-Residence at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities from 2020-2023. Kalia is part of the faculty at Pacific University’s Low-Res MFA program. In addition, Kalia teaches occasional classes at the Loft Literary Center, in different library systems, community arts initiatives, and in the prisons. 

For the summer of 2025, Yang is leading the first Refugee Writers’ Workshops at the Eastside Freedom Library with support from the Minnesota State Arts Board.