December Graduate Finds Community, Purpose at OU

What hasn’t OU senior Te’a Williams accomplished in her academic career?

Her list of achievements at the University of Oklahoma would fill up the Barry Switzer Center at the Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, but just to name a few: President’s Award for Outstanding Volunteer, African American Undergraduate of the Year Award, President’s and Dean’s honor rolls, and National Pan-Hellenic Council Humanitarian of the Year Award. She was even chosen as the Outstanding Senior for the David L. Boren College of International Studies.

Williams, who is graduating this week with a dual degree in international studies and sociology with applied criminology, plus a minor in spanish, said this determination comes from an Albert Einstein quote:

“When you do what you always did, you’ll get what you always got.”

Growing up on Tulsa’s north side, Williams eventually graduated from Union High School, motivated and ready to join her older sister at OU.

“I wouldn’t have been here if not for my sis,” Williams shared, also noting that her determination came from a hunger to find a place of belonging.

Although a third Williams sister would eventually make her way to OU as well, Williams longed to establish her own path and form an “OU family.”

“Honestly, I found family in things I became involved in,” she said. “I didn’t have relationships with much of my family growing up. I wanted OU to bring the family that I yearned for.”

Williams said this lack of familial support made her childhood difficult. Instead of having a pessimistic attitude of acceptance, Williams held herself accountable and became her own boss. This involved anything from waking up early to earning the reputation as a “go-getter” from her peers. It bred a longing for security in her life to, in her own words, survive.

“Me and my sisters, we were all struggling, broke college students, trying to make our way, struggling in our own aspects of life,” Williams said. “They can only do so much for me; I have to do it for myself.”

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Upon arriving at OU, Williams set out to find that family and sense of community she was looking for. By testing out – and later whittling down – different campus activities, her plate became full of achievements and activism, leading to accolades such as becoming a Withrow Leadership Scholar and a McNair Scholar. Her experiences and her determination ultimately drew her to serving with the Black Student Association.

“I feel like I am called to serve,” Williams said. “I want to try and change the world; I want to be a trailblazer.”

Williams she said she understands that to grow and learn, she cannot be satisfied with what has become comfortable. Her involvement with the Black Student Association and meeting influential African American students on campus helped whet her appetite with activism. But she knew she didn’t want to be bound to only one minority community.

“I became involved with the international community,” Williams said. “As a Black woman, I want to feel connected and help serve not just people who look like me, but also all communities of color.”

Translating her passion to serve others into an academic plan of study ultimately clicked during her study abroad experience.

“I wasn’t an international studies major until my junior year,” Williams said. “I changed after I had studied in [Puebla] Mexico in 2019. When I came back to America in January 2020, I added the Spanish minor. That semester was the straw that broke the camel’s back. It was the pivotal moment for me.”

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Her pivotal moment couldn’t have come at a better time. The summer of 2020 brought forth a wave of tension across the country. Social justice and racial inequality saturated the zeitgeist. It was a time that called for “go-getters” like Te’a Williams.

“[2020] took a toll on me mentally,” she said. “It was hard being an activist, being a student, being Te’a. I was out there on the front lines.” 

Williams went on to intern with two social justice groups in Oklahoma City, and her focus on social justice has become her inspiration moving forward.

Reflecting on her path to graduation, Williams said she can see how every experience – the good and the bad – has led her to where she is today.

“It was truly a struggle at times,” she said. “There were days where I wish I could talk to my parents to just ask, ‘Are you proud of me?’ But then I remember that I have to do it for me and do it for people who look like me.”

By Brady Trantham

Article Published:  Wednesday, December 15, 2021

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