The University of Oklahoma prides itself on familial legacies built on campus over time. For the thousands of Sooners, many are following in the footsteps of siblings or other close relatives.
These legacies are typically glorified once they have come to resemble the north side of Bizzell Memorial Library, where clumps of vine interweave together to show the decades of a storied history.
But those legacies must begin somewhere. For Malcolm Williams, it began just prior to his arrival on campus, via a brother and cousin.
A first-year biomedical engineering student at OU, Malcolm is also a member of the Henderson Scholars Program, named in honor of longtime human relations professor George Henderson. The program focuses on the academics, community service and health of a cohort of 120 students on campus.
The young Malcolm already had an impressive academic background coming out of Piedmont High School. His aspirations of working in the biomedical industry helped guide him to OU. But it was his older brother and cousin who influenced him to spread his academic wings even further.
“I learned about the Henderson Scholars Program through my brother (Michael),” Malcolm said. “He told me about it and the opportunity it provides. My cousin (Matthew) is in the Henderson Scholars Program, and he told me that it was a great organization and that I had to join."
Malcolm’s cousin, Matthew Williams, helped influence the push into the Henderson Scholars Program. With that, a new OU legacy is being formed in real time.
“It is an honor to know that we are building a legacy,” said Matthew Williams, a health and exercise junior. “Henderson’s is a great program which allows us to build our leadership and community skills. We are hoping that the legacy continues through our younger siblings so they can receive and learn the skills we are learning ourselves.”
For Malcom, the Henderson Scholar Program has already given him a platform to hone his skillset as well as add to his growing network of friends and colleagues.
“A big focus with the Henderson Scholars is community,” he said. “I did a lot of community work in high school. So, I felt like that was an important thing. I still love volunteering and going out into the community.”
That community extends far beyond volunteer work. One of Professor Henderson’s missions has been to help empower young people who once believed positions of leadership or status were unattainable. For Malcolm, seeing that legacy embodied in the program has been a welcome source of inspiration.
“I think one big thing that has helped me is the community (of the Henderson Scholar Program),” he said.
Williams would go on to praise the Program’s ability to promote a diverse leadership environment within student groups where he sees, “other minorities like me be together in a group.” This provides an inspirational path for young students like Williams to get involved and share their ideas.
“Every one of them (the groups within the Program) that I’m in, there is a minority on the council,” Williams continued. “Or I see other minorities do great things. I think that is how it inspires people. They see historic figures like Dr. Henderson and think that they can do great things.”
This current Williams legacy has a solid foundation for growth. The Henderson Scholars Program has helped engineer a familial network of learning and growth. While many different people go to college for many different reasons, the young Williams has found a network of friends and a platform to truly find himself academically and socially.
“My family coming into it is just a surprising thing,” Malcolm said. “It’s just kind of happening. But it is great that we have been able to build such a legacy in such a prestigious group."
