Frederick D'Wayne Bell, Jr. was born on November 1, 1997 in Hammond, Louisiana to Freda and the late Frederick D. Bell, Sr. When Frederick was seven years old, his family moved from their hometown of Greensburg to Baton Rouge where his parents worked as casino dealers.
At eight, Frederick and his family then moved to Sulphur where his parents continued their profession as casino dealers in the nearby city of Lake Charles. Frederick attended elementary and middle school at Maplewood School in Sulphur.
At Maplewood, Frederick frequently appeared on the Honor Roll and was a part of numerous academic and service clubs. He participated on the football and soccer teams and served as the manager for the basketball team. In addition, Frederick played the trumpet and percussion instruments in the Comets band. Frederick's band director was the prominent saxophonist, Huber "Mickey" Smith, Jr.
In 2016, Frederick graduated magna cum laude at MSA - East. While there, Frederick discovered his passion for service for others. In ninth grade, Frederick volunteered as a "teen attorney" at the Teen Court of Greater Baton Rouge. It was here he discovered his passion for justice and the law. During this time, he also helped jumpstart the Youth Peace Olympics, a program designed to give underprivileged youth access to positive mentors. This was also when Frederick experienced the great loss of his father.
When Frederick was a junior, he was elected as the lieutenant governor at the 75th annual Louisiana Boy's State and as the Louisiana state president of the National Beta Club. He also traveled to Europe for the first time to experience a cultural immersion in the countries of England, France, and Spain.
In Frederick's senior year, he served as the student body president. He also made history that year as one of the youngest delegates elected to attend the 2016 Democratic National Convention.
Frederick worked as a legislative page and aide at the Louisiana Senate for over three years. During the summer of 2017, he worked as a congressional intern for Congressman Cedric Richmond (LA-02) on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.
Frederick studied as a member of the Ogden Honors College at Louisiana State University, double majoring in mass communication and political science. His concentrations were political communication and public policy, respectively. While there, he participated in the Air Force ROTC andMock Trial programs. He was also an opinion columnist for the LSU student newspaper, The Reveille, during the spring semester of 2017.
During the summer of 2018, Frederick studied media and politics abroad in Europe thanks to scholarships from the LSU Manship School and Ogden Honors College.
In 2018, Frederick decided to transfer to Tulane University on a full-tuition scholarship. He earned his degree in political science with a focus in economics and policy. After graduating in 2020, he plans to work within his field before pursuing law school at an HBCU and then a career in criminal justice, environmental advocacy, and public policy in the city of New Orleans and Washington, D.C.
Family photo from 2005. (From left to right: Frederick Bell Sr., Frederick Bell Jr., Freda M. Bell, and Britney Bell.) (Unphotographed: Ayana Buchanan, Frederick Jr.'s paternal half-sister).