Early Life And Education

Born in Chester, Pennsylvania, Kamika Lynette Bell attended Booker T. Washington Elementary School in Chester. She also attended Immaculate Heart of Mary Middle School for her 6-8 grades, and finished her Catholic Education for grades 9-12 at Cardinal O'Hara High School where she sang on the gospel choir. She graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Human Services from Springfield College, Massachusetts. She also obtained a Masters degree in Education from Drexel University, Pennsylvania, and she is currently pursuing a doctoral degree program in Psychology at Liberty University, Virginia, with a focus on Industrial/Organizational Psychology. She is also a recent graduate of the McKinsey and Company Black Leadership Academy Management Accelerator Program, a program designed for high-performing early to mid-career managers who aspire to take the challenging leap into senior leadership roles. 

She became inspired by the pageantry that would define much of her life from a very early age. Competing in several talent shows as a young girl, she was largely inspired by Vanessa Williams, the first Black Miss America. Strongly supported by family in her aspirations, she precociously declared that she would sing, and also be Miss America someday, sitting on the porch with her late grandmother, Sadie Everett. Further encouragement and financial support came from her late grandfather and father. She would later come under the influence of her cousin, Stephanie Cain, who ran a school of self-improvement for dance and modeling in Philadelphia, and at which Kamika and her sister, Kywanna, took classes. Kamika also built tremendous confidence under the influence of her cousin, Sakina Cooper, who took Kamika under wings from the age of 9 to teach her the rudiments of fashion and pageantry, in the process entering her for several talent shows and dance competitions. 

Kamika started taking part in pageants from the tender of 14. A remarkable turn occurred at this early stage of her career when she placed third in an oratorical contest in which she recited a verse titled, “Up You Mighty Race, You Can Accomplish What you Will.” Acclaim for this powerful oration led to her invitation and entry into the Miss Pennsylvania Teen Beauty and Talent Pageant, in which she placed First Runner Up. Remarkable accomplishments on the pageantry trail followed in quick succession. Competing in the Miss America Preliminaries and the Miss USA preliminaries, Kamika won the non-finalist interview award for the Miss Philadelphia Pageant. She also represented Pennsylvania in the Miss International Beauty Pageant in 1997, held in Maztalan, Mexico, where she won the photogenic, swimsuit and fashion awards. She won Miss Black Pennsylvania in 1998, and competed in the Miss Black USA pageant in Houston, Texas, under the directorship of the late Carolyn Mason, who teamed up with her husband, Dr Mason, to help Kamika hone her interview and public speaking skills.

Career

In a remarkable career that started in 2003, Kamika has served in multiple roles in the education sector, starting out as a teacher at the Chester Upland School District and the Red Clay Consolidated School District. As an adjunct, she has served as a Professional Development Coach in Catapult Learning, successfully serving five Archdiocese Schools in Philadelphia, coaching teachers and school leaders. In another remarkable parallel, Kamika has spent the past decade in Education Publishing/Technology in her role of a professional development expert rendering services to several large and small districts in the United States, including Prince George’s Public Schools, Christina School District, Caesar Rodney School District, Philadelphia School District, Indianapolis Public Schools and New York City Schools. Her current role as an Education Sales Consultant, working with educators in Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey would seem to be an unequivocal affirmation of her vast experience and commitment to peak performance in the realm of educational leadership.

In no field of remarkable human endeavor, however, has Kamika proved a greater mettle than in humanitarian mentorship. Decidedly and decisively committing herself to the lifelong inspiration of youths, women, and families, she founded Catalyst for Change Inc. as a vehicle for the promotion of a variety of initiatives, including children's events, international mission trips, and annual awards ceremonies to honor extraordinary leaders. Through that initiative, Kamika has employed her international program to take high school students on a study tour of Nicaragua, while she has also traveled to South Africa and Anguilla on Health Education tours

Kamika employed Catalyst For Change Inc. as a platform to establish her famous mentorship initiative, Girls With Pearls (GWP), in June 2012. Girls with Pearls provides comprehensive lessons in etiquette. These lessons equip young girls between the ages of 7 and 18 with the social polish and social graces they need to interact and communicate with others with respect, courtesy, good form and kindness, so that they can comfortably navigate life with self-confidence and enthusiasm. To that end, the lessons include leadership training and dancing sessions (ballet, lyrical, and modern). Ultimately, the Girls with Pearls mentoring program for young girls, which celebrated its tenth year anniversary in 2022, is designed to provide select groups of young girls an opportunity to develop and appreciate a deep understanding of who they are in Christ, while building strong and healthy relationships with their peers. In committing to her mission with Girls With Pearls, Kamika subscribes to the philosophy that etiquette exists to make everyone’s life easier, and that treating others with courtesy, kindness and respect is vital to success in today’s competitive world. Etiquette and good manners, she also believes, and which often become second nature if they are taught from an early age, are not necessarily about being ‘classy,’ nor are they about ‘class differentiation,’ or about erecting ‘class barriers,’ but rather about creating a more civilized and egalitarian society in which young ladies can become the very best version of themselves.

In 2018, Kamika purchased the Miss Delaware International Pageant franchise, a subsidiary of the Miss International Pageant, a platform on which she created three queens, members of the Girls With Pearls Organization, who had an opportunity to compete in the Miss International Pageant in Charleston, West Virginia. In 2023, Kamika created several more queens during her annual Girls With Pearls Gala, with winners being crowned Miss Girls With Pearls, Miss Cover Girls, as well as Runners Up. 

Another important initiative on the Catalyst for Change Inc. platform is the Young Male Scholar (YMS) Program, which is designed to recognize deserving elementary, middle/junior high, and high school students. The program honors and recognizes students who have achieved academic excellence, have engaged in outstanding community service, and are making a notable difference in their school and in the community. Through this program, Catalyst For Change Inc., in 2011, exposed ten young boys to Dr. Ben Carson's “Think Big” presentation at John Hopkins University, in Baltimore, Maryland. In further pursuit of her passion for international work, Kamika has exposed high school students to travel experience to Nicaragua, and also exposed her son to South Africa when he was 14 years old. In the process, Kamika has traveled to South Africa twice and Nicaragua three times. 

Kamika, who also hosts a variety of women’s events in her community, including “The Esther Women” Awards Brunch.

Senatorial Commendation

Kamika’s work has not gone unrecognized at the highest level of governance in the United States, as only recently, she received a warm Letter of Commendation from United States Senator Christopher A. Coons, who lauded Kamika for her outstanding leadership role and selfless service to the community through her tremendous work ethic in the past twelve years with Girls With Pearls, and with the planning of the annual Cookies and Lemonade Fashion Debut and Community Day. The distinguished senator, in particular, praised Kamika for being wholeheartedly committed to inspiring young girls to thrive in a creative and educational environment.

Private Life

Kamika, who comes from a close-knit family, and enjoys a warm sibling relationship with her two sisters, Kywanna and Keia, is proud mother of a son, Kyle a 2022 Salesianum graduate, in Wilmington, Delaware. She also cherishes time spent with her son, extended family and enjoys cooking for her family and friends. 

Activism

Kamika was only 13 years old when she became exposed to the pervasive violence affecting America’s inner-cities, and subsequently became passionate about advocating for awareness and measures to stem it when her six year old cousin was collaterally killed when a bullet aimed at someone else came in through the door during a chase. At that early age, she became involved in advocacy against violent crime, and marched with churches against narcotics. Kamika also inherited her father's passionate advocacy on issues that affect Black, Brown, and more importantly, underserved and marginalized communities. 

Humanitarian And Motivational Efforts
 

• Collected over 2,500 Pens and Pencils for children in Villa El Carmen Schools in Managua, Nicaragua. June 2009. 

• Collected over 3,000 supplies in the United States for Health Fair in Selva Negra, Nicaragua. October 2009.

• Exposed high students as young humanitarians. Nicaragua. November 2010 and October 2011. 

• Motivational spokesperson for former Senator Rick Santorum Forum on Youth Motivation and Mentoring.

• Presenter for The Mary Hoover Culturally Teaching Appropriate Conference, Howard University, as an Emerging Scholar.

• Created workshops on topics such as solving problems by applying the critical thought process and evaluating principles of creative and critical thought plays in-group processes for adult learners at the University of Phoenix.

• Connected high school youth with experiences in personal, community, and international health promotion in South Africa.

 

Pageantry Milestones 

 

• First runner-up for Miss Pennsylvania Teen Pageant. Swimsuit and Evening Gown Winner. 

• Former Miss Black Pennsylvania USA. Metroplex 1998 

• Former Miss Pennsylvania International. 1996.

• Miss International Contestant. Photogenic Winner. 1996.

• Miss Philadelphia Contestant. Preliminary to Miss America Scholarship Pageant. Interview winner. 

• First recipient for Harvey King Musical Scholarship Award.
  
  
  Awards and Accolades 
   

• 2023 - University of Delaware-WE Hatch Honor Circle of Inspirational Women-Horn Entrepreneurship Award.

• 2022 - Proclamation from New Castle County, Delaware Executive, Matt Meyer.

• 2020 - Word of Alive Church Community Service Award.

• 2022 - Zeta Phi Beta Epsilon Rho Zeta Chapter. 16th Annual Finer Womanhood High Tea. Dignitary Honorary Chair Award. 

• 2016 - Zeta Phi Beta. Epsilon Rho Chapter. Finer Womanhood Awards for Exemplary Service, Leadership, and Dedication.

• Coalition of Hope Offering Inner-City Empowerment Services. Woman of The Year Award
  National Sorority of Phi Delta Kappa Inc. 2009 Award Recipient for Outstanding Community Service. Delta Pi Chapter.