GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (GRPS) – Erica Patton is back home in West Michigan, now leading scholars as Principal of Riverside Middle School at Innovation Central.
“I liked school, I liked education, I was always in a library,” Patton said of her childhood. “I don’t want to say I was a nerd, but I liked to read books. I was always in the library looking up something, looking for books in the archives.”
After high school, she attended Alabama State University, a Historically Black University in Montgomery, where she majored in history.
“I saw so many people that looked like me that were in education,” she explained. “It was just a breath of fresh air to see that.”
After college, she taught in Alabama and Virginia before returning home to Michigan. She joined GRPS in 2023, first serving with the Grand Rapids Southeast Promise Neighborhood, then as assistant principal at Alger Middle School, before becoming principal at Riverside Middle School.
“I know a lot of people say middle school is tough, but I like that they are so impressionable,” she said. “This is where you help them discover things that they can do.”
Patton says her goal as principal is to ensure every scholar feels seen, supported, and inspired.
“I hope my impact is that they know that they have support from me. I am there for them, that I am pulling for them, that they know that I want them to win,” she said.“I want to be a collaborative leader. I want us to all work together.”
