Karla Brundage was born in Berkeley, California, but grew up in the small beach town of Ka’a’awa, Hawaii.  She received a BA in English from Vassar College where she studied postcolonial African Literature. Her passion for social justice brought her back to the Bay Area where she received her MA in Education from San Francisco State University specializing in Multicultural Curriculum Development and Implementation.

For the past 20 years, she has taught Humanities, English and ESL courses in Hawaii, California, Zimbabwe, and West Africa. Her efforts to effect social change through art and literature are reflected in her dedication to a just and diverse curriculum. Through community building within the classroom, she hopes to nurture a positive learning environment where there is trust and mutual respect.   

As a recipient of a Fulbright Teacher Exchange Fellowship in 2001, she spent a year in Zimbabwe, inspiring her to lead students on international travel through Tanzania and Ghana. She is also a Track and Field enthusiast having coached both Track and Cross Country for 8 years.

Outside of school, Karla is a poet activist in the Bay Area community. She has published several poems and is currently pursuing her MFA in Poetry at Mills College.