This is the 1st of a 3-part series this week featuring alumni who found post-graduate success through less than ideal circumstances. If you haven’t learned it yet, you will find that the road to success is not always a straight path. Read on to see what we mean.
By Derrick Williams, ’99
Most of us are likely familiar with the famous poem by Robert Frost, “The Road Not Taken.” I was an English major, but even before attending the College, this famous poetic work resonated with me: “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood…” And while many roads may have led us to the College of Charleston, once we get to college, there are many roads and paths less traveled, that can lead us to extraordinary adventures.
I first started CofC in the fall of 1999, as a Pre-Chemistry major. My plan was to go to medical school after college, and either be a surgeon or work in some other capacity to help people medically. I took Biology and Chemistry my freshmen year, and I got through those with relative ease. My plan was working and all in place. Little did I know that an Organic Chemistry class and working in a hospital over the summer would change by view on going to medical school!
In the midst of my Junior year, I did not want to be a doctor at all. I was feeling like Alice who goes down the rabbit hole, not knowing what to expect. Fortunately, I had an advisor in the Honors Program (now Honors College) that showed me a potential different path. I remember she asked me what I really enjoyed – I told her reading. She asked me what my strengths were – I told her analytical thinking and debating issues. And she finally asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up – I told her I did not know! She recommended I think about law school! Her reasoning was that law school could provide me other options that I may not have thought about or even considered. I started to research law school and the admission process, and I decided to switch majors in my Junior year to English.
Now, switching majors is much easier when you are a Freshman or Sophomore, not before the 2nd semester of your Junior year! So, I loaded up on English courses, as I still wanted to graduate on time. (And my parents would have expected me to finish in 4 years anyway). And though my original plan of being a doctor ceded to a new plan to be an attorney, my initial path still led me to an amazing voyage in my life and my career.
I have been blessed to be a defense attorney, a judge at an early age, and now a plaintiff’s attorney and a mediator. I have had the great pleasure of drafting legislation and regulations that impact injured workers’ in very positive ways, and to serve on numerous boards and committees of civic and legal groups. What I thought would lead me to hanging up a white coat after a long day of work, now leads me to hang up a suit coat, after a long day of work. If I had never experienced some adversity, if I had never experienced some failure, if my college experience had been a smooth road, I would not have been able to be as blessed and as successful as I am today.
Much like the cobblestone sidewalks and roads of Charleston, your college adventure may not be smooth or going as smoothly as you would like. I vividly remember strolling along the sidewalks in Charleston and being embarrassed, tripping many times! And certainly, in this time of the pandemic, social injustice and unrest, and just general uncertainty about the future, it can feel like we truly have gone down a rabbit hole and experiencing crazy events like Alice in Wonderland. But, we go down the hole anyway, because everyday can be an adventure, and though we do not know what the future holds, please know that your future is being shaped by all that you are doing and learning. Every success, every failure, every mundane day, every triumph, every defeat, every encouragement, every disappointment – all of these things are molding you into someone and something that you do not quite yet realize. “It’s no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.” Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.
So, no matter what road you may have started on, or the road you are on now, do not be discouraged if the path is a little bumpy. Success comes in many different shapes, sizes, portions, frames, mentalities, and experiences. I am thankful that my path was not as easy as I expected. I am grateful for the dips and crevices and unconventional stops along the way. These have made me stronger and wiser and more understanding of the people that I get to help and to serve on a daily basis now. Please enjoy your journey. Embrace the experiences that come, for this is your road to travel, and it does not have to look or to feel or to be like anyone else’s road. The closing lines (below) of the famous Robert Frost poem sums it up best:
Derrick L. Williams, class of 1999, is the first Black Alumni President for the College of Charleston’s Alumni Association and also serves on the Honors College Advisory Board. He is an attorney and certified mediator who lives in Columbia, SC.