Celebrating Black History Month — Meet Kelsey Williams

Kelsey Williams is the interim associate director for external relations and the assistant director for internships and experiential learning at University Career Services at UNC-Chapel Hill. Williams works to connect external employers with Carolina students. We spoke with her for Black History Month.

What led you to pursue work in Student Affairs? 

I graduated with my undergraduate degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with bachelor's degrees in journalism and Spanish. One of my first jobs in undergrad was working at the Writing Center. I started working there because of my passion for writing. I loved how it was the first stop for students who were unsure of their writing skills, and I loved how I got to interact with so many different students. I found my passion from that work experience. When I graduated, I remembered that what brought me the most joy was working with students, and I learned that the field of student affairs aligned with my want to be a part of the meaning-making experience in college.  

I went to Clemson to pursue a master’s degree in counselor’s education. I liked that the program included a mix of social justice and holistic counseling. I graduated in 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic. I began working in admissions at North Carolina Central University, a historically Black university in Durham. In admissions, I saw what it takes for students to get into higher education, especially at an HBCU where many students were first-generation college students. I think my work experience of being in admissions has given me a more holistic viewpoint of the college journey. A lot of hard work and competition against other students goes on just to get in the door, and when you get here, that work doesn’t stop. It’s only just begun. 

I’ve seen the first part of the student experience in admissions, the second part in student affairs, and now the tail end in career services. Students get to the end of their time in college and wonder what’s next. That can be a vulnerable and uncertain time in many students’ lives. To meet them in that space is valuable and important.  

What brought you to Carolina? 

I loved working at an HBCU and the culture there, but I was ready for the next challenge. I’m very much a go-getter – I thrive when competing against myself. I knew that coming to UNC-Chapel Hill would allow me to learn under experienced leaders to grow both professionally and personally. My career trajectory would not have been what it has been if not for Carolina.  

How have you built community at Carolina? 

Each office in Student Affairs brings our own lens to the Carolina experience. It’s important that we prioritize working together and staying united. I came here at the end of the pandemic in 2022. Our office was working on a flexible remote schedule, so I wasn’t seeing my colleagues on a consistent basis. It’s been interesting to see us transition out of that and to know that people do value being together and showing up for one another.  

A lot of relationships start with the intentionality of reaching out. I try to create not solely work-based relationships, but ones based on authenticity. It’s very easy to just send a Zoom link, talk about business, and go your separate ways, but it’s another to decide to come out of the pandemic-ness that we were dealing with. Intentionality takes effort, but the bond is greater when there is genuine connection between our office and other entities, and this ultimately benefits students. It starts with us as individuals making intentional choices. I like to believe that people come into your life and that we’re all at Carolina at this time for a reason. 

How do you give back to the campus community and beyond? 

One of the most fun parts of my job, and the way I give back, is creating opportunities to make more meaning out of the college experience. University Career Services is the department that coordinates the big career fairs and anything dealing with employers.  Internships are where students finally get to use the skills they’ve been learning and training to put into practice in a career. I get to help make the college experience come alive. I hope that more students, especially Black students and those of color, know about Career Services and that will swing by in their senior year. Try out career coaching and go to a career fair or one of our other events!

How have Black mentors shaped your career?  

One mentor, Roderick Lewis, comes to mind. He was in the role that I am now in when I first came to Carolina. After turnover in our office, he stepped up to become the interim executive director and had to oversee external relations while making important decisions for the entire office. I will always be in awe of the way he managed everything with such grace and found time to check in, mentor, be present, and connect with people human-to-human. To see him as a Black man navigating Carolina through the pandemic with grace and patience is something that should be commended. When he left Carolina in Aug. 2023, Roderick advocated for me to oversee external relations operations on an interim basis.  

What does Black history mean to you?

My view of Black history has definitely evolved after working at an HBCU. For a long time, I lived and worked in predominantly white environments. When I went to an environment where I was no longer in the minority, I got to really be myself without needing to look at life through the lens of my race. I appreciate being able to see life from both perspectives now. What’s so special about Black history is that Black people have such a powerful, strong, and beautiful history. It’s sad yet triumphant. I think it’s beautiful that I was able to come to Carolina, which has historically been and remains a white place, to meet one of my favorite mentors and eventually obtain a position of leadership. The privilege we have in history today is that, in large part, you can view your situation however you want. Regardless of race, you can’t control what is going to happen to you, but you can control how you respond to it. That is truly where your power is. What’s so powerful in being a Black woman is that I have this long history of people I can look at to see how they responded to the circumstances they were put in. They chose to have joy, peace, generosity, and unity. I choose to look at life from that perspective. The way you view your circumstances is important, especially if you’re coming from a lineage that is as complex and weighted as Black history. We have an opportunity to continue to overcome and to create the history that we want our descendants to be able to look back on. 

What advice would you give to others pursuing a role like yours? 

Show up and be ready to do the work. You need to know that you are here for a reason. Let the path your role takes you down make the meaning that it needs to make for you. My desire is that you would be the best you in your role. Granted, every day is not going to be a great day, but there are days when you can bring it: days when you can work hard and be creative, innovative, and forward-thinking. Since the pandemic, I’ve noticed that there are some people who get very comfortable in their roles. I want to tell them to keep going. Don’t just settle for the bare minimum, because if you do that, you’re also setting for the bare minimum for yourself. Give yourself more little wins. It’s like playing basketball. You want to make the layups and keep giving yourself those feelings of making baskets and hearing that swish. As we know in Student Affairs, it takes a lot of trial and error. There are a lot of angles to frame and assess your work, but in the end, you want to give yourself more wins.  

Learn more about University Career Services. 

— Payton Wilkins