Staff Profile: Nadra Huma Quraishi
Nadra Huma Quraishi holds an infant in a New Hope Early Learning Center classroom
Name: Nadra Huma Quraishi
Job title: Education Specialist
New Hope employee since: August 2022
Hometown: Karachi, Pakistan
Favorite color: Black
Favorite food: Thai (spicy)
Favorite sport: Cricket
Favorite book: Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff
Children: 2 sons, Aazar (24) and Omar (21), and 2 daughters, Kiran (26) and Kinza (20)
Fun fact: Huma has travelled to 23 countries on 5 continents, as well as 32 states in the U.S.
Huma especially enjoys working with infants at New Hope ELC
With 30 years of professional experience in education, Huma has been a teacher across Pakistan, Australia, Africa, and the United States, specializing in early childhood education, special education, teacher training, and English as a Second Language.
Huma came to Bloomington in 1996 to attend graduate school and — after moving around the world to Sydney, Australia, and back to her birthplace of Karachi, Pakistan — she finally returned to Bloomington in 2021. She has dual-citizenship in Pakistan and Australia and is a permanent resident of the U.S.
Huma earned a B.A. with honors in English Literature from the University of Karachi in 1993, her M.A. with honors in Linguistics from the University of Karachi in 1994, and her MA in Applied Linguistics and TESOL from Indiana University Bloomington in 1998. She is currently enrolled at Ball State University, working toward a graduate certificate in Program Administration in Early Childhood Education, to be completed in the fall of 2026.
“I really love early childhood education. I love working with infants and continuing to learn about them and about myself.”
Why I work at New Hope
Huma started out as a co-lead teacher in the infant classroom at New Hope Early Learning Center (ELC) in 2022. While walking on the B-Line Trail a few months after moving back to Bloomington, she spotted a sign recruiting for teachers outside of New Hope.
“At this point in my life, I wanted to do something where I could still teach but also have fun.”
As a longtime human rights activist, Huma was immediately attracted to New Hope’s mission to support families impacted by homelessness.
“I was especially drawn to the continuity of care approach, which let me build deep connections with the children and their families, perfectly blending my passion for education and advocacy.”
What I hope to achieve at New Hope
Huma says that her goals are to help empower families experiencing homelessness and inspire the next generation of early childhood educators.
Through our ELC’s emergent curriculum — which emphasizes emotionally responsive, developmentally appropriate, and trauma-informed care — Huma is able to provide children with learning experiences that nurture social, emotional, and academic growth. And through our ELC’s new Jump Start program, Huma is able to help train new teachers in proven best practices and developmental theories that support children facing adversity.
“Designing an emergent, trauma-informed curriculum that nurtures children’s social, emotional, and academic growth, while mentoring educators through the Jump Start program, allows me to empower families facing homelessness with hope and dignity, helping break the generational cycle of poverty.”
Having worked with organizations around the world, Huma says that New Hope for Families is unique in the degree to which we value our staff, investing in professional development and seeking input in decision making.
“I have worked in many roles with many organizations in many different countries, but this is the one organization that I’ve found that really values its people.”