The path to success for Rashiya James starts in the footsteps of others.
“I started off when I was 18. I was a regular custodian. After years, I got promoted from head custodian 1 to head custodian 2, then head custodian 3,” James said.
She was 18, a high school graduate, living alone, and took a job in Fort Worth ISD that paid her enough to cover the bills.
“Teacher assistants at that time was not enough money. Custodians made more at that time,” she said.Each promotion came with a bump in pay, but staying on the ground floor was never in her plans. She wanted more for herself.
The job put her alongside high school students close to her age, and as they planned their futures, she started to see hers, too.
“A group of students said, ‘Ms. James, we wish you were our teacher.’ And from there, I decided to become a teacher,” she said.
The dream was there, but the money wasn’t. She could pay her bills on a custodian’s salary, but financing a college education was still out of reach.
A nonprofit focused on educating young women heard about Ms. James’ dreams and swooped in like fairy godmothers ready to make wishes come true.
“Once we heard her story and interviewed Rashiya, she was a perfect fit. She understood the value of an education,” said Barbara Fife, co-founder of the nonprofit Powerful Purses.
The women of Powerful Purses funded her education through Tarrant County College, a bachelor’s degree at Tarleton State University, and provided her with a professional wardrobe to take Rashiya from custodian to head of the class.
“Her journey would be like traveling in a covered wagon and then being catapulted to the moon,” Fife said.
James says that the journey includes her team at Meacham Middle School, who supported her and helped her have an amazing first year.
She’d hoped for elementary school butt notes on Teacher Appreciation Day from her “misunderstood” middle school students revealed that they needed her.
“Saying how they appreciate me for supporting them and being by their side through their academic journey,” James said. “It means I was doing something right. I finally knew my purpose. It was to be there and support these students.”
The self-described math genius is an inclusion teacher who helps special education students build up their math skills.
Her most important lesson is for all students.
“Never give up on your dreams. Always keep moving forward and believe in yourself.No matter what you face in life, you’re gonna always overcome those challenges,” she said.
Rashiya plans to return to Meacham Middle School in the fall, but she sees herself as a counselor or maybe a principal in the future.