Erica Hubbard

Born and raised in Chicago, Hubbard knew at the age of nine that she wanted to be an actress, after she performed in her first stage play. Hubbard attended Columbia College in Chicago where she majored in Broadcast Journalism and minored in Theater and earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in three years. After graduating, she landed her first television show entitled “Up 'N Running,” a teen show that focused on educating kids on a variety of different topics of interest, from education to horseback riding, to playing hockey or learning how to make ice cream. The show aired on WPWR, a UPN affiliate in Chicago. By the time the third season had started airing, she had already won a Regional Emmy award for hosting the show and earned a Service To America Award from the National Association of Broadcasters. She began acting at age nine in commercials for McDonald's, Reebok, Sears, Kellogg's, MCI, and others. Her best-known modeling appearances have been in various magazines as the Noxzema "girl" for its 2006 campaign. She has appeared in the films Simon Says, Akeelah and the Bee, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Save the Last Dance, A Cinderella Story, as well as numerous television series including Lincoln Heights, CSI: Miami, and Everybody Hates Chris. She also had a voice role in the video game "The Walking Dead".

Erica Hubbard (born January 2, 1979) is an American actress and model. Hubbard is best known for her roles as Kiana Anderson in 2006's Akeelah and the Bee, Cassandra "Cassie" Sutton on the ABC Family series Lincoln Heights and Kita Whitmore on Let's Stay Together on the BET network. She is also the voice of Abbey for the TV series The Replacements. She created "The Erica Hubbard Foundation" to help youth in at-risk communities.