Ervin Williams

It was on that trip that Williams sat in on instructor Willie Perdomo’s English class as they discussed Shakespeare’s Hamlet. He still recalls “Mr. P” encouraging him to contribute to the conversation as the class dissected the play’s legendary “To be, or not to be” soliloquy. 

“Listening to what the students were saying and being given the opportunity to participate was something that really drew me to the school,” Williams says. 

Just a few months later, as an enrolled student, Williams once again found himself being encouraged to express himself by Perdomo, now his adviser. Bonded by their mutual love of poetry, the two hit it off. 

“Mr. Perdomo really become a father figure to me,” says Williams, using a phrase he does not take lightly. When Williams was 3 years old, his father died. 

“Mr. P taught me that to truly know yourself is one of the greatest things that you can ever accomplish,” Williams says. “Teaching me how to be a better man and be a better student is something that I’ll never forget.”

In his four years, Williams pursued what can only be characterized as a holistic Exeter experience, playing as a lineman on the football team, honing his musical craft on piano and as a rap lyricist, and serving as a proctor in Peabody Hall. 

Williams was also a regular in the Office of Multicultural Affairs, developing a similar paternal bond to the one forged with Perdomo with deans Sami Atif and Hadley Camilus. 

“I found solace in OMA,” he says. “It’s been integral to my success and survival at Exeter.” 

In the wake of the recent string of killings of Black people at the hands of police, Williams has relied upon the guidance of his mentors on campus, conversations with his peers at the virtual Harkness table and reflection about his own life experiences in an attempt to make sense of the senseless. Williams says his reflex is to get out in the world, to start doing, to affect what he can affect. 

“I’m most concerned about trying to make a change that will last, especially for my children and my children’s children, versus expressing anger that won’t lead to justice,” he says. “It doesn’t help if we deepen these wounds or if we decide to not address them at all.” 

Williams has already taken steps toward meaningful change. He’s currently working with the Florida Education Fund and the National Urban League to develop a program that aids inner-city, underprivileged students by connecting them with opportunities at schools like Exeter. 

With a foundation built on a bedrock of varied experiences, meaningful discussions and lasting relationships, Williams flows on, set to attend Wheaton College in the fall and pursue a degree in law. With the time on campus in his senior year cut short, he wasn’t able to visit his hideout in the Academy Woods one final time as a student. 

“Unfortunately, I didn’t get to say goodbye,” he says. “But I plan on coming back next year and taking my time down that trail.”

— Adam Loyd

Editor's note: This article first appeared in the summer 2020 issue of The Exeter Bulletin.