NEWS
Te’a Williams’ introduction to the University of Oklahoma was attending the McLaurin and Lewis Leadership Conference, a preview program for African American students, during her junior year of high school.
“Seeing black students like myself on campus, finding resources, showed me I have a community here,” she said. “I met Rodney Bates, Crystal Carter, Tiffani Bates and so many different Black faculty and staff, as well as different organizations and networking opportunities for people who look like me on campus; since then, I knew (OU) was for me.”
Williams is now a President’s Community Scholar, McNair Scholar and a senior majoring in international studies and criminology. She discovered that international studies was the right fit after her first study abroad experience with the President’s Community Scholars program. By combining it with criminology, she is able to apply her interest in the criminal justice system to a global context.
Williams took Suzette Grillot’s course, illicit trafficking, which sparked her interest in studying the topic further. Under Grillot’s mentorship, Williams conducted the research project, “Human Trafficking: An Analysis of Racism and Cultural Oppression within the African Diaspora,” which explores “how racism and cultural oppression contributes to the exploitation of the inordinate number of Black and brown bodies pushed into the commercial sex trade.”
“Before I was a McNair Scholar, research always scared me,” she said. “For me to actually be able to do research of this magnitude has been a very humbling experience. I’ve gained so much knowledge and I’m very grateful to be able to share my knowledge with others.”
Williams has now studied abroad three times. Those experiences, combined with her academic achievements, have provided professional experience that she feels will serve her well going on to graduate school. She graduates in December 2021 and plans to go to graduate school abroad while continuing with a focus on social action.
Williams encourages students to take any opportunities they can get.
“It took a while for me to become a McNair Scholar,” she said. “I would encourage students to be patient, trust the process and take those changes and leaps in life… ‘no’ happens all the time, but I feel like those build character within yourself – follow your path and everything will be where it needs to be.”
