Lupita Hinojosa is the first woman and first Hispanic woman to serve as Spring ISD’s superintendent in the district’s history. Despite the achievement, however, Hinojosa said she did not always see herself as an educator.
Hinojosa began her education career as a bilingual teacher shortly after visiting a friend’s first grade classroom and feeling a connection while reading to the students.
“I actually started telling them the story in Spanish because they weren’t understanding,” she said. “A little boy, ... he said to me, ‘maestra, maestra’ [meaning] teacher.”
At the time, Hinojosa said she was working in the fashion industry, but she eventually went back to school and began working for Houston ISD in the late 1980s. Prior to taking over the role as SISD superintendent Jan. 28, Hinojosa served as the district’s chief of innovation and equity. She began working for SISD in 2014 as the district’s chief academic officer.
