SE Kentucky News

Third-generation student carries on family's commitment to Union College

Growing up, Allie Williams visited Union College every year with her family for homecoming. She felt the warmth of the tight-knit community, saw her mother, Frances (Black) Williams’ (’99) dedication to the Alumni Association, and always remembered the fun of getting together for the big meal and the football game. 

Still, Allie wondered if Union’s small-town setting would be a fit for her. Many of her high school friends from the Indianapolis area chose to go to a nearby Big Ten school for college, and Allie considered it herself. However, when she realized she didn’t want to be “just a number,” she chose Union’s small campus instead. 

“I was definitely nervous at first,” Allie says, noting the culture shock of moving so far away from a big city. Once she started getting involved on campus and meeting people, though, she adjusted quickly. Now a sophomore, Allie is known for her welcoming spirit and active role on campus.

Allie works for the Campus Activities Board (CAB) and serves as a student ambassador and peer mentor. Currently, she’s taking 22 credit hours and pursuing a triple major to become a social worker. Union’s small student-to-faculty ratio and focus on personalized education make it possible for her to balance her many responsibilities with fun and friendship. 

“Everybody here works together as a community,” Allie says. She has found that coaches, professors, faculty, and staff at Union really care about their students and will find solutions to scheduling conflicts or other challenges as they arise. 

Allie’s been dreaming of becoming a social worker since 7th grade. She wants to follow in the footsteps of her grandmother Peg (Prosser) Black, who graduated from Union in ’71 and has been a social worker ever since. Allie started as a double major in Sociology and Psychology but later decided to add Substance Abuse Counseling so she would be better prepared to serve clients with chemical dependencies.

“I didn’t have to take 22 credit hours,” she says, “but I’m a 3.8 GPA student, I have people around me to motivate me, and I was like, I can do this.”

Allie’s commitment to service, community engagement, and academics aligns with Union’s core values and runs deep in her family. Not only did her mother and grandmother attend Union, but her father Kenton Wiliams ’98, uncle Philip Black ’92, and grandfather Ed Black ’64 all graduated from Union, as well.

In fact, after first coming to Union in 1960, Ed Black stayed for 40 years until his untimely death in 2000. He not only earned his bachelor’s, master’s, and honorary doctorate from Union, but he also served in a variety of well-respected faculty positions. Alumni remember Ed for his engaged role on campus or know the Edward H. Black Technology Center named after him.

Ed passed before Allie’s birth, but since being in Barbourville, Allie has gotten to know him in a new way. Customers at the local restaurant she used to work at would often realize they knew her grandpa and tell her, “Oh my gosh, I loved him,” and “He was such an inspiration to me!” One day a customer even brought Allie a photo of himself with Ed when they were in their 20s, and he shared memories from 60 years ago.

When Allie takes alumni on tours of campus, the stories pour in then, too. “It’s always so sweet to hear that people still remember him,” she says. 

Realizing the incredible impact Union College has had on her and her family, Allie wants to be a catalyst in spreading this magic to others. In her various roles on campus, she helps to plan and carry out events, leads tours, and supports freshmen in their transition to college. When she notices a student struggling to adjust, she encourages them to get involved on campus. 

“A lot of people come here and they're like, wow, this is a small school,” she says, “but once you get involved, once you meet people, once you talk to professors, you will love it here.” She says she met some of her best friends by going to CAB events and has no regrets about her decision to come to Union. Judging by her family’s experiences, she believes these connections will be lifelong. 

Allie wants students to know that if they choose Union, they will belong to this community, and they will be supported to succeed. She says if you need anything and are willing to communicate, someone will always be there to help and work with you. “Union is a family,” she says. 

Original source can be found here.