A Foundation for Growth

From the time Williams enrolled at UNCG, she immersed herself in the school’s offerings, balancing 18 credit hours with multiple leadership roles, including serving as a resident assistant, a member of the Student Government Association, and a leader in the Black Business Students Association. She also worked in the Bryan School’s Department of Economics and participated in Alternative Spring Break, volunteering with organizations in Washington, D.C., that supported people experiencing homelessness and children who were underserved.

“It wasn’t a vacation, but it was transformational,” she says. “That experience grounded me in empathy and reminded me why leadership isn’t just about success – it’s about service.”

She recalls benefiting from the diversity of the campus.
“I got an opportunity to meet people from other cultures and international students while also discovering cohorts on the campus where I felt safe and seen,” she says. “I felt very much at home at UNCG.”

Her work in the classroom confirmed her interest in business strategy and leading teams. During a marketing course, Williams and her classmates gained valuable experience through an internship at a local Chevrolet dealership. Her accounting professor illustrated points through real-life examples. “She taught us how to apply concepts in both the corporate setting and in our own lives as college students,” Williams says. “Having limited financial literacy at the time, that really resonated with me. Now I use these skills in business every day and teach them to my own kids.”

These lessons – along with multiple summer internships that Williams secured through the national nonprofit INROADS – gave her early insight into corporate America and the confidence to thrive in it.