Karima Hughes was born on the Caribbean island of Antigua. She migrated to the United States when she was thirteen years old to live with her mother. She is the product of the NYC public school system. In her high school in the Bronx, she was inspired by an English teacher who became the example of what an effective teacher is.

Karima felt valued as a learner and a person whenever Ms. Layman taught her. Because of Ms. Layman, she went on to pursue a bachelor's degree in English at St. Francis College in Brooklyn Heights. In order to attain her teaching credentials, she enrolled in Brooklyn College, where she earned a master's degree in English 7-12 Secondary Education. The same year Karima earned her master's degree, she began teaching in a Bronx public middle school. After nine years, she decided that she wanted to be a high school English teacher. She then transferred to a secondary high school in West Harlem. After one year of being in that school, she decided that she wanted to make a larger impact on the children she served. Being an instructional coach and a teacher was not enough.

Karima was motivated to look for a master's program that would accommodate her work schedule and build on her passion for educating children of color. She expected this program to prepare her for an equity-based and culturally responsive public school leadership.

SPA became the program that far superseded her expectations. During Karima's first summer at SPA, she learned more about herself as a learner, collaborative partner and leader. She learned how to effectively develop adults by experiencing Dr. Elie’s holding environment. Reflecting today, she believes that the internship aspect of the program really provided her with the invaluable opportunity to become immersed in the “real” work of a school building leader. Her final summer in SPA provided her with the opportunity to build partnerships with her cohort members — creating a critical friend network that will prove invaluable in years to come.

Today, Karima is the Assistant Principal at Fredrick Douglass Academy II where she taught while completing the SPA program. Day to day — she continues to implement the theories she has learned during her SPA experience. She has progressed in the journey of critical self reflection that SPA has instilled in her, while relentlessly focusing on creating equitable educational experiences for the beautiful Black and Brown children that she serves. Karima is honored to be a part of the 2018 Cohort and the SPA legacy. Her vision of her impact is larger than she has ever expected; because of SPA her life work has developed and continues to expand to disrupt systems of oppression that directly and indirectly affect students who are marginalized.