[2] She attended Connecticut College where she studied government and served as editor-in-chief of the school newspaper[3] before graduating in 2012[4] at age 20.
Hughes began her career as a fact-checker at New York Magazine,[5] one of only two black employees (the other worked in the mail room) at the publication throughout her first year there.
[8][9] At the Times Magazine, Hughes edited the "Letter of Recommendation" feature and the "Talk" column.
"[21] Hughes has also profiled Elaine Welteroth of Teen Vogue and Charlemagne Tha God for the New York Times Magazine.
[23] On November 3, 2023, the New York Times announced that Hughes had resigned, after having signed with Jamie Lauren Keiles the Writers Against the War on Gaza letter, an open letter accusing Israel of attempting to "conduct genocide" in the course of the 2023 Israel-Hamas War.