By: Jasmine West
At Cass Technical High School, freshman Zaraiyah Bell is known for earning top grades. But the ninth grader’s greatest accomplishment may be the way she challenges assumptions every day.
Born blind, Bell recently completed her freshman year with a perfect 4.0 GPA, finishing first in a class of 712 students. She is also a pianist, singer, volunteer, avid reader, baker and active member of Cass Tech’s Crochet Club and Vocal Choir. This fall, she plans to add Honors and Advanced Placement courses to an already demanding schedule while exploring track and poetry.
For Bell, however, success has never been about proving she is extraordinary. She simply wants people to see her before they see her disability.
“I would say the biggest challenge is that as soon as people see me because I’m blind, they automatically assume that I can’t live my life,” Bell said. “I don’t like when people assume stuff about me. I think people should ask before they assume.”
That mindset became especially noticeable when she entered one of Detroit’s largest and most competitive high schools.
She recalls moments when classmates and even adults directed questions about her to someone else instead of speaking directly to her.
“I don’t like when people ask others about me instead of coming to me,” she said. “They would completely bypass me. They would say, ‘Oh, she can’t do this. She can’t see.’ That’s the hardest part about being a student in a public school.”
Instead of allowing those perceptions to define her, Bell has continued to build a resume filled with academic achievement and creative pursuits.
English is her favorite subject, but outside the classroom she enjoys reading, writing, singing and playing piano. She recently completed several custom birthday cakes after teaching herself new baking techniques, including making homemade frosting from scratch.
“I like to bake,” she said. “I think my next project is going to be cookies.”
Her love of learning extends beyond schoolwork.
“I like to learn to do things and be independent,” Bell said. “Sometimes people assume that since I can’t see, I can’t do anything, and I just like to prove people wrong.”
She also volunteers at homeless shelters and hopes to expand that service by working with animal organizations. After college, she hopes to become a therapist serving teenagers.
“I want to go to college, and after college I think I want to do therapy,” she said. “I want to work with teens.”
Despite ranking at the top of one of Michigan’s premier high schools, Bell remains remarkably humble.
When asked about her academic accomplishments, she laughed.
“I don’t know what she talking about,” she said of the praise from her teachers.
That modesty is something Candace Wilson, DPSCD’s Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments, has witnessed since Bell was in third grade.
“Zaraiyah is brilliant,” Wilson said. “I don’t really believe Zaraiyah has yet come into the full fruition of what she’s able to accomplish.”
Wilson describes her student as fearless, driven and endlessly curious.
“She thinks everyone works as hard as she does and that she’s just a regular student,” Wilson said. “She doesn’t quite know how smart she really is. She’s tenacious. She grasps everything really quickly. She wants to learn. She wants to explore new things. She challenges herself. She doesn’t have any limitations for herself.”
Over the years, Wilson has watched Bell master challenges that many adults believed would be difficult simply because she is blind.
“A lot of people think she needs someone to guide her,” Wilson said. “Zaraiyah doesn’t need a guide. She is more than capable of getting around herself. She has her own voice. She’s a fantastic writer. She’s a pianist. She sings.”
Wilson said new teachers are often nervous when they learn they will have a blind student in class, largely because they have never taught one before.
Her response is always the same.
“I tell the teachers, ‘She’s smart. It’s going to be okay,'” Wilson said. “We adapt. We modify. Everything is put into Braille. She reads Braille at a mastery level. By the end of the year, she’s one of their favorite students and one of the smartest kids in their class.”
That support is part of a larger effort across Detroit Public Schools Community District, where teachers specializing in visual impairments work alongside classroom educators to ensure students have equal access to learning.
Wilson said the district’s commitment goes beyond academics.
“Everyone should be able to access the world and have the same chances and opportunities as their non-disabled peers,” she said. “Detroit Public Schools definitely has strong educators who are devoted to these kids. We want to make sure they are prepared to take on whatever they want when they become adults.”
For Bell, Cass Tech has become a place where she can continue discovering new interests while meeting students from every corner of Detroit.
“It’s a really diverse school,” she said. “You get to learn a lot about different cultures just by talking to people. They have so many different curriculums and extracurriculars. You can pick up something new and learn it.”
As she prepares for sophomore year, Bell’s goals remain focused on learning, growing and serving others. Her story is a reminder that ability is measured by determination, not perception, and that some of Detroit’s brightest young leaders are quietly reshaping expectations simply by refusing to let anyone else define their potential.
