“This program really did give me so much.” - Shantell Williams
Determined future Williams’ future couldn’t be brighter. She is now studying economics at Harvard and is working for Facebook in California this summer. She hopes to break into social entrepreneurship in the future and already has several projects in mind. She credits her success, in part, to the drive and self-sufficiency that the S.T.E.P.S. program helped instill in her from a young age. “A lot of self-motivation that I got from the program has directly translated into my everyday work,” Williams says.
necessarily know you need, that no one tells you that you need,” Williams says. “This program really did give me so much.” When she was in the program, Williams says she never realized how much time and energy staff dedicated to students. She says they went above and beyond to provide the best possible future for their students. She says it also took her moving away to realize just how well the program had prepared her for the road ahead. From motivation to confidence to communication skills and everything in between, Williams says the staff and programming at NCADD equipped her to go forward in life with purpose and the ability to be successful. “It gave me the tools that you don’t
Her old mentors at NCADD recognize her success as well. Staff say they’re incredibly proud of Williams and NCADD President and CEO Dr. Benjamin Jones says her journey is a “shining example” of what students can accomplish with hard work and a little help from the NCADD program. “We’re always excited when our youth really take advantage of the opportunities that are presented to them to advance themselves,” Dr. Jones says. “Shantell and many others have demonstrated that.”
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