During the summer of 2005, Nashira Williams’ worldview changed.
Sure, Florida State had felt like home from the day of her first arrival. The “genuine interest” shown by an Admissions counselor made her feel welcome.
And yes, she enjoyed all the free events on campus—movies at the Student Life Cinema, student organization events, and the themed weekly activities put on by the Student Activities Center.
Nashira was also doing well academically. She enjoyed her professors’ courses and even had a favorite—David Quadagno—her “anatomy and physiology teacher for two years.” She made the Dean’s List and was inducted into the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, an honors organization that encourages the development of leadership skills through community service.
She was actively serving the community, as a volunteer at the Boggy Creek Gang Camp, as a mentor for Student Supporting Students, as a Service Scholar, and as an outreach leader for the Center for Civic Education and Service.
But then last summer she “had the opportunity to work on a personal level with over 300 incoming freshmen” as a CARE (Center for Academic Retention and Enhancement) counselor, a First Year Experience peer leader, and as a member of the Student Leadership Seminar planning committee. Nashira says, “The entire summer impacted the way I view the possibilities of the world, and how I could affect so many people in so little time.”
Now, as the director of FSU’s Service Corps and the on-site coordinator for LeaderShape, she enjoys “getting people involved in the Tallahassee community, not just for one day, but by helping them become advocates for service.”
After graduation, Nashira plans to continue impacting the lives of others. First, she wants “to teach for a couple of years at impoverished schools,” so that she can personally experience “underprivileged and neglected places of education.” Then, she hopes to lobby “for the betterment and equality of all schools within the nation.”