Alumni Spotlight - Tim Williams

Tim Williams entered EvCC's Youth Re-engagement Program (U3) after having been homeschooled his entire life. In high school, Tim's mother decided the U3 program would further enhance his education and allow him to finish his diploma. "EvCC allowed me to further explore the careers I was interested in," he says. While attending the U3 program, Tim finished a majority of his math and science requirements for medical school and explored his love of theater and the arts. He later transferred to the University of Washington at Bothell and graduated with his bachelor's degree in public health. Today, Tim attends the University of Western States and will receive his Doctor of Chiropractic degree. Tim advises current students: "Our society pushes independence, but our dependence on others allows us to gain from learning from one another."

What is your current occupation/career?

I am a medical student at the University of Western States.

How did you choose EvCC? Was there a selection process involved in your decision making?

I was homeschooled all my life and my mother enrolled me into the U3 program so that I could finish my high school diploma. I choose to remain at EvCC because I was still exploring careers and EvCC allowed me to further explore those careers.

Do you think your time at EvCC helped you pursue your current career? How?

EvCC was a huge component to the pursuit of my career. I finished a great majority of my math and science requirements for medical school at EvCC. I also got to explore my love for theater and the arts. 

What did you do after you left or graduated from EvCC?

I transferred to UW Bothell and graduated there with a Bachelor's in Public Health.

Was there anyone during your time at EvCC who acted as a mentor for you? If so, please tell me about that relationship and why it was valuable.

I can't say there was one person because I actively cultivated relationships with my instructors and advisors on campus. At some point, they each gave me encouragement, guidance and support. Their value was in their perspective and advice on the challenges I faced during my time there. They helped me to see my challenges in a new way and eventually, I overcame them. I can name a few people who helped me: the U3 staff, Cynthia Clarke, Beth Peterson, the ASB staff, and the Tutoring Center staff.

What words of advice would you give to current EvCC students?

The best advice I can give is to seek wisdom and guidance from those around you and those who came before you. Then support and build up those around you, especially fellow students. We are told that we must do everything for ourselves, but this is not true. I have discovered that people, particularly in the education field, have a desire to see students succeed. I think we should not lose sight of the fact that we are all human beings first and that our success as a whole comes from supporting and building up one another. Education is such an important thing and the message should be that we can all learn and grow from one another. Our society pushes independence and that's great, but our dependence on others is what allows us to appreciate and respect the independence we gain from learning from each other.