The Founder
All his life, BHS Founder, Akida Mashaka, a Harvard University and Morehouse College graduate, had always believed in the traditional education system pathway. Work hard. Get good grades. Follow the path. But over time, especially during Covid, Akida saw something he couldn’t unsee. The traditional education system was not preparing students for the real world. It was not helping students understand themselves. And it was not designed for the future they are actually going to live in. As a parent, that realization hits differently. Because if school is not preparing your child for life, then what is the purpose of school in the first place?
His teenage son
Living in Barcelona, this harsh reality became personal when it came to his own teenage son. Akida began asking himself, what kind of person will his son become in a traditional education environment? What skills will he actually need for the future? And why does school feel so disconnected from that future reality? Akida realized that the world had indeed changed. But unfortunately, education had not. And Akida, as an entrepreneur himself, from that moment on was not willing to let his son—or any child for that matter—be prepared for a world that no longer exists.
A new education model
So Akida started rethinking everything. What if students learned by doing instead of memorizing? What if school helped them discover their strengths, particularly their “superpower”? What if social and emotional development mattered just as much as academics? That thinking became the foundation of what is now the BHS Method™. Because in the real world, you don’t succeed by memorizing information. You succeed by creating, adapting, and understanding yourself.
The BHS Method
Starting a school from nothing, especially with no experience in education, was seemingly an impossible feat. There was no blueprint. No safety net. No guarantees. Just conviction and Akida's entrepreneurial spirit. The BHS Method™: Build. Harvest. Succeed. And just like that, Akida started Barcelona High School with 5 students in a basement. There were plenty of reasons to fail. But when you know something needs to change as important as this, fear of failure never crosses your mind.
The Co-Founder
During the initial school year, Akida met an inspiring educator from Chicago, Amanda Slefo, a teacher who had always dreamed of being a Director and owner of a school. But more importantly, Amanda also believed that the traditional education system was broken and needed to be revamped. With Amanda as Director, what happened next was a incredible. Students did not just perform better. They transformed. They became confident. Engaged. Self-aware. Students started to discover who they really are and what they are capable of when someone truly believes in them. And for the first time, the students actually loved going to school. School was like a family.
Social Wellness School
That’s when Akida and Amanda realized this was not just another school. It was a new and revolutionary model for education combined with a one-of-a-kind culture. Today, BHS is an accredited American school in Spain since 2024 and the world’s first Social Wellness School™ where academic excellence, social engagement, and emotional wellbeing are all supported in equal measure. And in the blink of an eye, BHS has grown from those 5 students in the basement, a few years ago, to over 500 students across 2 campuses. Now BHS serves students ages 3 to 18 years old. The new primary school campus for elementary and preschool is in the upper Gracia district and the secondary school campus for middle and high school is in the innovative district of Poblenou. This growth is not due to expensive advertising campaigns. Instead, through "word of mouth" because families see and feel the difference.
The Vision
The vision is simple. A school where students feel safe, supported, and inspired. Where diversity is a strength. Where flexibility replaces outdated rigidity. Where teachers are mentors, and not just lecturers. A place where teachers just don't "teach to the test". But rather a place where students are prepared for life.
Build, Harvest, Succeed
The future does not belong to the most obedient students. It belongs to the ones who understand themselves, think independently, and create their own path. Traditional education, unfortunately, does not teach that. But BHS does. Because when a student learns how to build, harvest, and succeed, they do not just follow the world. They shape it.