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Tyler Williams |
Fittingly, it was Tyler Williams' high school English teacher who showed Williams the impact he could have as an educator.
鈥淕rowing up in a poor rural school district, he invested heavily in every student,鈥� Williams said. 鈥淗e believed in every one of us, no matter how much resistance he met. That was truly an inspiration, and I wanted to be that for someone else.鈥�
Now, after graduating from the University of Arkansas 鈥� Fort Smith this spring, the
Hartford native will have the opportunity to do just that after earning a teaching
position in Newtok, Alaska, where he will teach math to Yupik, which are indigenous
Alaskan natives.
鈥淚鈥檓 very excited, as I have a lot to learn,鈥� Williams said. 鈥淭he Yupik are dual language but the primary language is Yupik. I have already been to native dances and tried food that is very new. It's extremely exciting to be working with a new culture.鈥�
Still, Williams has faced his fair share of challenges in adjusting to life in Alaska, with 20 hour days during the summer and a different culture.
鈥淭here are some things a kassat 鈥� an outsider 鈥� may not know such as the raising of the eyebrows is equivalent to saying yes,鈥� Williams said. 鈥淭he winter will also be interesting as the climate is very unforgiving here at times. But it's a very exciting opportunity and every teacher faces challenges no matter where.鈥�
Williams found himself well-prepared for the opportunity after his time at AV抖阴, where he was part of the Chancellor鈥檚 Leadership Council, a competitive scholarship program that includes a freshmen leadership course taught by Dr. Paul B. Beran, AV抖阴 chancellor.
鈥淯nder the mentorship of Dr. Beran, I unlocked leadership potential that I was unaware I had,鈥� Williams said. 鈥淗e saw something in me, and I believe that inspired me as well as my peers to rise to the occasion. If it wasn鈥檛 for that class, I鈥檓 not sure if I would have been as actively involved in organizations as I was.鈥�
His time in CLC prepared him to assume leadership roles as vice president then president of Chi Alpha. He also received an education he said helped prepare him for success as an educator.
鈥淥ne thing that was stressed in our educational process was putting the student and their needs above all else, and that is a universal pathway to success,鈥� Williams said.
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