Ervin Williams

"I’m most concerned about [making] a change that will last, especially for my children and my children’s children."
At the southeastern edge of campus, tucked among the acres of Academy-owned woodlands, sits an armchair-sized chunk of granite protruding from the forest floor. Steadfast in position and appearance for generations, the slab of stone overlooks a stream. In perfect complement and contrast, the meandering tributary remains in constant motion, altering in shape and size as it swells and shrinks by the season.
For Ervin Williams ’20, this natural nook became his refuge, a place to sit and think about that day’s English lesson, write poetry or just clear his head. The senior stumbled upon his serene sanctuary on a Sunday afternoon stroll through Exeter’s network of trails during his lower year. “I decided to go off-road and drag myself through the brush like a rugged adventurer,” he jokes. “I sat down and I was listening to the water and listening to the birds and thought, ‘This is a place I will cherish.’”
Williams’ first steps in his journey to Exeter likewise required him to tread off a well-worn path and explore what lay beyond the immediately visible.
“My [initial] visit to Exeter was the first time I’d had ever been up North,” the West Palm Beach, Florida, native says. “I didn’t see a lot of the avenues in Florida that would allow me to achieve what I wanted, so having this ability to go to Exeter and really find who I am and what my passions are was awesome.”