“Make good choices” is a motto that assistant principal Michelle Wilson lives by.

“​​If you really think about it, the core of life is all about choices. So think about what choices you’re making,” Wilson said.

Wilson is in her second year of being an assistant principal. However, this wasn’t her original plan. From a young age, she didn’t plan on pursuing a career in education.

“When I was in school, I definitely did not want to be an educator,” Wilson said. “But once I went to college, I ended up going for education.”

Wilson earned a master’s degree in educational administration from Lamar University in 2021. Previously, she had been in middle school education for 16 years as a cheer coach, math teacher and math instructional coach.

“So once I got my master’s, I wanted to go into administration,” she said. “There happened to be an opening at Kingwood Park. I knew of Kingwood Park and knew of the campus itself. But what drew me here was the culture of the campus. The culture here is to allow students to be involved in so many things that we can really personalize for them.”

Throughout her educational journey, Wilson has had a group of people who have encouraged her to do great things. Many people in her life have influenced where she is now.

“I never thought I would be an administrator,” Wilson said. “I never wanted to be an assistant principal, but I had great leaders who saw potential in me, pushed me, and saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself.”

Within the school, Wilson has built a support system that she can turn to in times of need.

“There are times that I’m presented with something that I’ve never dealt with before and, you know, I’m figuring it out along the way, but I’ve got a lot of great people around me that I can ask, ‘Hey, have you ever dealt with this?’” Wilson said.

Wilson has worked many students and teachers around campus. She does her best to make sure that everyone is performing at their best.

“She is constantly working with teachers and working with students to build that relationship and really giving them feedback on how to make the school better and how to make them better,” house secretary Heather Medina said.

It’s not just teachers she’s built bonds with, it’s her fellow house office staff too. In the time Wilson has been here, the E-K trio has grown close.

“We’re strong and we have good communication skills,” Medina said. “We’re able to communicate with each other about what’s going on so we can stay on top of it.”

But where Wilson truly shines is with the students. She openly makes an effort to get to know all of her pupils.

“She and I both have about maybe 450 students that we’re responsible for,” counselor Timothy Hurlbert said. “I think as a principal, she only gets to see on a daily basis those regular students that maybe are in her office, but somehow, and whether it’s just through flex hour, she knows most of our kids and knows them by name.”

Sometimes, working as an administrator isn’t all that easy. But due to Wilson’s connections she has made, things as small as a smile or a hello can be a burst of joy during an especially long day.

“I think even just small conversations with someone being able to identify me by name and say hello is nice throughout the day,” Wilson said. “I hope that I have made a positive impact on them and that they know that while I am someone that can assign discipline, I’m also someone that can listen to them.

“Some days, I don’t know if I have an impact or if I’m making a difference. But it’s like, all of a sudden, you’ll get this jolt realizing maybe in the long run people do recognize what we do. And so, that’s what keeps me coming back and making the most impact. Seeing the little things, and the payoff in the end.”