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.