Story

Raised in Houston’s Third Ward, Nia grew up balancing checkbooks with her grandmother — an accountant who taught her that numbers could solve real-world problems. After studying Math Education at the University of Houston, she committed herself to supporting students in historically underserved communities.

Nia’s teaching style turns math from something scary into something familiar and even fun. Students use role-playing, games, and practical budgeting projects to learn multiplication, graphing, and financial basics.

Her favorite success story is a student who believed she was “bad at math” until she created a small classroom business selling bookmarks. The project helped her understand profit, cost, and pricing — but more importantly, it helped her believe in herself.

When she’s not teaching, Nia coaches girls’ basketball and tends a backyard vegetable garden with her two kids. She joined Kina to continue building confidence through connection.