Nicole Williams

I ABSOLUTELY support the Ford Scholar Alumni Association’s mission to meet and partner with fellow, Ford alumni, and to support and help empower them to provide leadership and be of effective, helpful, service to their communities.

As both a life-long, inner-North/Northeast Portland resident, and as a non-traditional, student of color, I have had to confront and address socioeconomic, gender, racial, and environmental justice issues that have historically been ignored. I KNOW how important having supportive allies is.

As an older, non-traditional, student, woman of color, from Oregon, I tend to view and understand situations through an outlier’s lens. I have almost 30 years of experience working/volunteering/providing services and support to under-served, yet over-represented populations. I have had to learn how to navigate turbulent situations and advocate for people and causes often times viewed as irrelevant. I have served on both locally and nationally recognized boards and committees.

As a member at large, I would like to help accomplish the FSAA’s goals of providing opportunities of connection, ally building, and support for alumni who want to provide leadership to and within their communities. As a member of The Ford Family Foundation, I think that it is vital that we stay connected to both the organization and the FSAA’s mission and aspirations.

For me, graduating from college equated no longer feeling connected and plugged into Ford. I felt isolated and alone when trying to pursue academic goals and bring social awareness to certain causes. Although I continued to carry the Ford Foundation Flame within me, it would have been helpful to feel as though I had fellow alumni to reach out and connect to for support, and/or just to lend a listening ear. The thought of participating in the creation, expansion, and unification of a support system that utilizes Ford Alumni as its core of strength is exciting. Providing a self-sustaining resource for Ford Alumni is necessary.

The FSAA membership should elect me to the board of directors because I have an unshakable belief in the power of ability and possibility. I have the tenacity and the audacity to say what sometimes just NEEDS to be said. And I have the courage to continuously believe in the process of life, especially when those around me cause me to question it. I see chaos as wonderful opportunity and times of disease and discomfort as necessary to and for personal growth. When others run out, I run in. Although this mentality bothered and caused me misery in my younger years, I have come to understand, accept, and embrace it as an asset. I have insight as well as hindsight and I do not fear saying, “I do not know … but I can try to find out …”

I think that my desire to help further Mr. and Mrs. Ford’s dream, coupled with my desire to help empower current and future Ford Alumni, is a good fit as a member at large on the FSAA Board of Directors.