The 2023 Women of UD
Sherry Williams
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT / MULTI-ETHNIC EDUCATION AND ENGAGEMENT CENTER (MEC)
"I wouldn’t want to work in any other office, this is my end all be all.
What I love about working with the team in MEC (Multi-Ethnic Education and Engagement Center): we don’t wear titles, we wear team. It's all for the common good, we put our all in it, all hands in.The programs that we do are intentional, for the students as well as the community. Nurturing them to become whole. My office is the first office and I make sure I have a kind word to say to everyone. Be kind. You never know how that can turn someone’s day around. I make that my mission. I don’t have to connect with everyone but I make it my mission to be kind.
I’ve learned so much from students. Sometimes I put myself in that space and I have to go behind my door and pray. I don’t know if I can be that person, the struggles that they go through and still be here at college…they’re strong. I don't have all the answers. In my office I have a little closet. I’m constantly in there praying or you might see me walking by the chapel. You might think I’m trying to get my steps but that’s where I get my mental health, so I can be strong for them. They are inspiring, energetic…they keep me trending on the things I need to be trending on, they keep me afloat.
My career was at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, I was there for 17 years, and I went through a divorce and I was like ‘Huh, two of my kids are going to be considering college. I’m gonna be able to afford it? Ok maybe it's time for me to make a change, maybe I need to start looking for a job at a university where they help with the tuition.’
Next thing I know I got offered the job at UD, but I looked at the pay and I was like ‘I'm going to have to step in faith with this, it's a big cut for me.’ My parent’s say ‘The Lord done take care of you all this time, you ain't never wanted for nothing’. So I stepped out in faith, I accepted the job….It’s the best thing that ever happened to me...I didn’t know the job was going to be this awesome. I would bring my kids to the programming, get them acclimated here for college.
Unfortunately it didn’t pan out that way. They didn’t have nursing here, for my daughter. She got a full ride at Wright State. So I said, ok, this is not going to be in vain, I said ‘They got tuition remission, so we ALL going to be in school.’ Lord, He put me where I’m supposed to be. Then my youngest son came along. He was ready for college. He ended up at Wright State, for basketball. I said, Ok Lord, looks like it's all on me. So we went through the years. I'm at basketball games like ‘Go ahead son, cheer cheer!’ while I’m doing homework.
That’s how I got here. Based on stepping out in faith, trying to get help with my children’s college. The job and the money?…I tell ya, I ain’t want for nothing. My kids are doing well. My daughter told me ‘Go back to Wright Patt, you need more money, we don’t want to see you struggle.’ I told her I'm gonna think about it.
I talked to my parents and my mom just kept telling me ‘Stay still’. I told her, well, ‘I made a promise to God I gotta fill. I gotta find what I have to do to give back, because it's been a blessing for me, I got a free education, my kids did good even though they didn’t come here.’
I don’t know what my calling is, but mom said ‘Just stay still, he’ll show it to you’. My father said 'Your calling is you’re giving back by what you're doing on your job.’ But I wanted a sign.
I was sitting there at my desk one day. An alum came back, it surprised me, it had been 7 years. They shared some information with me. My conversation with them, which I didn’t know at the time, they were struggling with mental health, that day that I talked to them saved their life. And they are so ever grateful, and they wanted to come back and share with me that they feel whole now. That’s when I knew this was it. And I couldn’t see it. I never wanted to be the one out front, but I wanted to see a sign from God. This is where I’m supposed to be.”