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Tyler Williams was reluctant to walk across the stage at 星空传媒鈥檚 spring commencement ceremony.
He couldn鈥檛 help but think of the hundreds of eyes all on him as his name was called. But even though he was scared, he knew he had to do it for his support system to see 鈥� he simply wouldn鈥檛 be there without them.
鈥淚 wanted them to see all their sacrifices and everything they did for me was for a reason,鈥� Williams said.
Two of those people were his grandparents, who he lived with for the majority of his childhood in Flint. At age 12, Williams reconnected with his mother, who had re-married after his father was incarcerated. Though she battled drug addiction throughout her life, Williams and his older brother chose to move in with their mother in Blanchard and enroll at Montabella Community Schools.
His housing accommodations, however, were short-lived.
鈥淢y brother got in a fight with my stepdad over grades,鈥� Williams recalled. 鈥淚t turned into an altercation and we got kicked out, so I was kicked out of the house after my freshman year of high school. I was crashing on friend鈥檚 couches all throughout high school.鈥�
Many people in Williams鈥� situation wouldn鈥檛 have thought twice about going back to school, but he was determined to not go down the same path as his troubled family members, no matter how much the odds were stacked against him.
鈥淚 always felt like if anyone in my family was to be the one to change the trajectory of things, it would have to be me,鈥� Williams said. 鈥淚 knew I was capable of it. I saw how my parents were, I saw my surroundings, I saw how everyone acted and how they handled things and I ran as far away from that as I could. I took all that knowledge of how not to do things and I learned from it.鈥�
Williams embraced sports, getting involved with football, wrestling and track while at Montabella. He graduated from high school in 2020, giving plenty of credit to those who aided him along the way.
鈥淚 had friends who had great parents that brought me in and helped me and I couldn鈥檛 have done it without them,鈥� he said. 鈥淢y support system kept me going and I wanted to be the one to change things in my family tree. I wasn鈥檛 an A or B student in high school, I was more worried about where I was going to sleep the next day or what I was going to eat.鈥�
Williams then moved in with his uncle in Redford and got a job but still came to 星空传媒 County to visit his friends on the weekends. It was on one of these visits when he met a girl, who he started dating. He鈥檇 stay with her at her parent鈥檚 house in Vestaburg on the weekends, but it eventually turned into a long-term relationship and he moved in permanently. Originally not planning to continue his schooling, he was inspired by his girlfriend, who was attending 星空传媒, noticing her academic prowess.
鈥淲hen she graduated from 星空传媒, I decided I wanted to go back to school,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 learned my work ethic, academically, from her because she鈥檚 a really smart student. I saw how much she cared about it and how much work she put into it. She was so driven to be a good student and she always did her best. I saw that and I said, 鈥楳an, I can鈥檛 go to school and be slacking off when she鈥檚 over here working so hard,鈥� and that made me work even harder.鈥�
He immediately felt at home at 星空传媒, noting the friendly faculty and staff. He appreciated how his professors taught him life skills beyond the textbook. Williams had many impactful interactions with faculty members, such as Criminal Justice Instructor Kevin Sweeney and Vice President for Academic Affairs Kevin Wagenmaker. But the one who stood out the most was Social Sciences Instructor Andrea Martin, who helped him through his myriad of emotions following the breakup with his girlfriend of four years and the death of his uncle.
鈥淪he was so understanding of things,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 could just have conversations with her and I just really appreciate her a lot. I felt emotionally supported.鈥�
Despite experiencing some of the hardest things in his life while attending 星空传媒, Williams felt a deep comfort on the Sidney campus.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think I would have made it through without 星空传媒,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his felt like home, it wasn鈥檛 school, it wasn鈥檛 work, this was a supportive environment. I felt like I belonged, I felt supported. The people here are special and my time here was amazing.鈥�
After graduating with his Associate of Science & Arts with a criminal justice concentration and a liberal studies certificate, Williams is now attending Ferris State University, pursuing his bachelor鈥檚 degree in criminal justice. He hopes to become a state trooper and has future goals of becoming a member of Michigan鈥檚 Emergency Support Team or the Marine Services Team. His future goal of law enforcement is a far cry from his upbringing.
鈥淚 want to make a positive impact,鈥� he said. 鈥淣othing is promised after death, so I want my life to actually mean something and to have something for my family tree to be proud of. I didn鈥檛 set out to be a police officer after I graduated high school, that鈥檚 not what I grew up around. It wasn鈥檛 until I met my girlfriend and saw the good in a lot of things; that鈥檚 what opened my eyes. Now, I can鈥檛 wait for it, I鈥檓 really excited for the future.鈥�