Senior Spotlight: Ervin Williams
Donning his signature red hoodie and bunny mask, senior Ervin Williams took the Assembly Hall stage at UnSilenced last Thursday. With just his microphone and a prerecorded beat, he rapped about identity and society. When he finished, the crowd roared in a standing ovation.
Williams grew up in West Palm Beach, Florida, never expecting to attend boarding school. “My whole life, I thought I'd be in Florida. That's exactly where I’d be, that’s where I'd grow up, that's where I'd live, that's where I'd die,” he said. But thanks to the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, which provides scholarships for promising students who have financial need, he received the financial support that was necessary to apply to Exeter.
Although Williams had reservations about leaving home, he was drawn to the Academy due to its reputation. As he was looking at the top boarding schools in the nation, he recalled that his mom said, “If you're going to leave me, at least go for number one.”
Williams' potential as a student was clear from the time he first stepped on campus. Before starting the school year, Williams came to experience classes first-hand. Even then, Williams made a lasting impression. “Ervin did something that is generally shunned upon when it comes to visiting students: he sat at the Harkness table and contributed to the class discussion,” English Instructor Willie Perdomo said. “His contribution actually enhanced the analysis.” Now, Perdomo serves as Williams’ adviser.
Nevertheless, Williams struggled during his transition to Exeter and quickly learned valuable life lessons as a student. "One thing I really lacked was knowing how to be really responsible when you're independent. So, my first term here, I lost my damn mind," he chuckled. "I wish I had better habits, which is something I'd most definitely tell younger students."
However, one of the connections Williams formed at the beginning of his lower year kept him on track: fellow lower and football player Deniz Akman. “Wild kid,” Williams said. “He always kept me going because I saw how hard he worked. That made me work even harder.”
In turn, Williams helped Akman adjust to boarding life while entering as a new lower. “Ervin introduced me to people; he got me into the hang of things and answered any questions that I had about Exeter,” Akman said.
Williams further bonded with those on the football team. Though he may have not been an all-star player, he found community within the team. “I sucked at football. But that’s one of the best things about being on a team at Exeter: you foster certain relationships that you know will outlast your Exeter career,” he said. “And there are boys on the football team that I will never forget.”
Many students who have crossed paths with Williams have noted his compassion, loyalty and friendliness. "I knew right away I could call him one of my true friends," senior Dylan O'Sullivan said. "He would do anything for anyone without hesitation."
Senior Kyle Marshall, one of Williams' dormmates in Peabody Hall, noted that "[Williams] was someone that was super nice, that reached out, that made the effort… He's someone that Exeter would be different without—and not in a positive way."
Despite the Academy’s heavy workload, Williams has made time to keep up with various hobbies. He frequents the design lab. “It allows me to get all my creative energy out and make work that I’m proud of,” Williams said. “This past Christmas, I made a necklace for my mom out of wood, epoxy and PLA plastic. It was really fun to be hands-on … making something from the heart.”
Many around campus may know Williams for his biggest passion—rap music. “Most days, if you live in Peabody Hall, you will hear me in the wee hours of the morning, rapping,” Williams said. “My floor sometimes gets tired of me—having to repeat and rework lines—but it's something that keeps me going, clears my head and grounds me… It allows me to find different ways to express myself and express my feelings.”
However, emotional expression isn’t the only reason why he raps. Through rap, Williams has found another way to keep in touch with his loved ones. “Rapping is something that I don't think I could survive in Exeter without. It keeps me connected to the people back home that I miss so much,” he said. “Although I can’t be with them physically, sometimes I send them snippets of my rap projects.”
Modern Languages Instructor Jacqueline Flores taught Williams for two terms. In her class, students were required to create multiple oral presentations, and Williams decided to rap. “[Before], I had seen him rapping in English, but once I saw him rapping in Spanish … I have no words to describe how emotional [I was],” she said. “It was a beautiful experience to have seen, for him to just come out of his comfort zone and do it in another language.”
Flores stressed that Williams had changed the Exeter community for the better.“We are so lucky to have a student like Ervin Williams, to have him as an Exonian. He is a teddy bear, he is a love. He is a big guy, and he is a gentle giant… Ervin is going to go far in life.”