Tyese Williams Class of 2017

Interview by Aneara Burns. Photo courtesy of Tyese Williams.

One of Friendship’s goals is to give students resources in order to excel and make sure that their potential is never wasted. Tyese Williams is the perfect example of a student and alumnus who took every opportunity given to him to make the most of it. I had the chance to talk to Williams about his experience at Friendship, in college and with his career path. 

Aneara: What college did you attend and what was your major?

Tyese: I went to Morehouse College. I majored in political science.

Aneara: What year did you graduate? 

Tyese: I ended up graduating in 2021. 

Aneara: What was your college experience like? Did you experience any struggles?

Tyese: It was interesting. I would say I kind of had two different college experiences because for the first half of it we were on campus and the second half was during the pandemic. Being on campus was great. I tell people all the time that if they have a chance to experience going to an HBCU, they should. Being around people who were black and educated was an amazing experience for me. During the pandemic everyone was remote, so I didn't really get to finish out my last two years on campus. At first it was kind of a struggle. We had to transition from being in person and being able to talk to your professor whenever to having to send an email to set up a Zoom call. It was a change, but I adapted to it and made it out. Overall I’m grateful for all the experiences I had, good and bad. 

Aneara: What is your career path today? 

Tyese: I have a degree in political science, so I've worked mainly in the political space. I worked in lobbying  for various companies. I'm currently working for a dispute resolution company. Basically what we do is set up disputes through the federal CMS system, you know, healthcare. We get a case, we go through the case, make sure that there's no ill will and that it’s following federal law. I'm actually looking to go to grad school, hopefully in 2024, if not in 2025.

Aneara: What was your experience like at Friendship Collegiate Academy? 

Tyese: It was great. I definitely have a lot of love for Friendship. I was in the early college academy with Dr. Charzay, Mr. Blood and Mr. Moses—all these great teachers and I did a lot of stuff with the other academies. When I was at Friendship, I was in different organizations. I was in student government, model United Nations andI school band. It felt like a family in a lot of ways. I had a lot of teachers I could just go to or just ask questions about different things. 

Aneara: Do you think that Collegiate prepared you for college?

Tyese: Definitely. There’s just certain things you have to experience once you get there. But for the most part, when I went into it, I didn't feel like I was out of my league or out of place or anything like that. Being in AP courses and dual enrollment kind of introduced me to it. The college tours that we went on, and just being able to say, “This is what a college campus is like.”

Aneara: What is one lesson that Friendship taught you for life after high school? 

Tyese: My biggest lesson was, regardless of how many rejections you get, there is always gonna be a “yes” eventually, so never quit. I know it sounds pretty cliche, but for me, that was one of the things I was stressing about. I'm applying to all these big name schools, I'm not getting into them, I'm getting a lot of rejections and stuff like that. But, shout out to the counselors, they continuously encouraged me and said, “Hey, this school has this program that you're looking for, you know, look into that, apply, just go ahead and just keep going.”It’s going to work out, don't stress out too hard about it. 

Aneara: What advice would you give to current Collegiate students? 

Tyese: Everyone's not going to have a plan for the next 10 years, even 5 years. But make sure you have something to do—whether it's college, or an internship, or something like that. Even while in college, I took advantage of every summer to build my resume. Make sure to get as many scholarships as you can. I know you don’t want to be in debt after college. And make sure you enjoy your four years. Do your work, and stuff like that.  But take the time and opportunity to really build those memories. You're going to meet a lot of great people and a lot of personal and professional friends. 

Alumni Editor Aneara Burns is a junior at Arizona State University and a 2020 graduate of Friendship Collegiate Academy.