Get To Know Me!

Hello and welcome.

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I’m Tyler Hughes, a doctoral student in School Psychology at Loyola University Chicago whose work centers on education, identity, belonging, advocacy, and affirming spaces for Black youth and marginalized communities.

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I am an HBCU graduate, a proud DCPS alumna, the daughter of an educator and a chef, an older sister, a cat mom, an East Coast girl through and through, and a lifelong learner deeply shaped by Black communities and Black culture. These parts of my identity are not separate from my work — they are the foundation of how I understand schools, relationships, community, and the importance of creating spaces where students feel seen, supported, and able to fully be themselves.

 

My interest in this work is deeply connected to both my personal experiences within educational spaces and my commitment to understanding how schools shape identity, safety, opportunity, and belonging. As someone who experienced school as both a meaningful place of learning and, at times, a complicated space to navigate, I am passionate about exploring how educational systems can better support marginalized students academically, emotionally, culturally, and socially.

Much of my work focuses on the experiences of Black youth within schools, particularly the ways educational spaces can become more affirming, culturally responsive, and community-centered. My broader interests include identity development, representation, belonging, community-school collaboration, and the ways systems impact marginalized students and families.