LANSING, Mich. -- A Kent County woman was recognized by the Michigan Lottery for her outstanding performance in education Tuesday.
Yamaka Bracey is a fourth and fifth grade teacher at Campus Elementary School in Grand Rapids and is being acknowledged for her efforts with special activities and fundraisers in addition to her dedication to students and their parents.
The Michigan Lottery established the Excellence in Education award program in 2014 to recognize outstanding public school educators across the state during the school year.
Winners of the weekly award receive a plaque, a $500 cash prize, and a $500 dollar grant toward their classroom as well as their own news segment on FOX 17. Bracey was presented the award by Tom Izzo at the Breslin Center in Lansing.
Bracey says her favorite part about being an educator is that "every day in education has its own journey. I love being able to inspire, help, guide and speak and teach about life to all I have been given the change to encounter."
Bracey has been an educator for seven years, with three of those being in her current position at Campus Elementary.
She earned an associate degree at Grand Rapids Community College, and then a bachelor degree in education from Aquinas College. She is currently in the process of completing her master's degree in urban education from Davenport University.
