GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (GRPS) -- As a first-generation college graduate, Chasciti Jackson-Bell knows firsthand the doors that education can open. Today, as principal of Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Academy, she is committed to ensuring every scholar has access to those same opportunities.
“Education has changed the whole trajectory of my life,” Jackson-Bell said. “It has changed the trajectory of my children's life, my family's life.”
That personal experience fuels her work every day.
“I know what education has been for me,” she said. “I want them to have that at Martin Luther King Leadership Academy.”
Her passion for education began early.
“I kind of always had the characteristics of being a teacher,” she explained. “School was my happy place. I love school, and that's obvious because I went and I have never left. I've been in school in some capacity since I've been five years old.”
That love of learning eventually became a career dedicated to serving scholars in Grand Rapids Public Schools.
“I always knew I wanted to come to GRPS,” Jackson-Bell said. “I just felt like there were a lot of scholars that looked like me.”
She began her career at Campau Park Elementary School, where she worked under veteran educator Cynthia Jones.
“She was phenomenal,” Jackson-Bell said. “It was just a group of us who all believed in kids, who were new to our careers, and she put us together and she built a team.”
Today, Jackson-Bell brings that same belief in scholars to her leadership role at Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Academy.
“I want all kids to have an opportunity and access to a good quality education,” she said.
Her vision goes beyond academics. She wants every scholar to feel recognized, respected and empowered.
“Making sure that all kids have an opportunity to come to school, to be seen, to be valued, to be heard,” Jackson-Bell said. “I believe in every kid that walks through this door. I see their potential. I see their purpose.”
That commitment has helped shape a culture of belonging at Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Academy.
“I want us to be a family at MLK, and we're going to continue working so that everybody feels like we're part of a bigger family, all of us together,” she said.