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Wendy Champagnie Williams is an associate professor in the School of Social Work.  As a first-generation American and college graduate in her family, Dr. Williams feels passionate in the work with which she engages with students. An adult learner who worked and raised a family throughout her own educational journey, Dr. Williams is committed to working with and on behalf of students who doubt their abilities to be successful in their endeavors in higher education. Dr. Williams is a native Bostonian, growing up in Dorchester, Massachusetts.  As someone who is proud of her journey from a GED to a PhD, Dr. Williams writes and presents about her experiences of growing up in the inner-city, exposure to gang and community violence, being a teen parent, a high school dropout; and how her interactions with a social worker at Bridge Over Troubled Waters, a program in Boston that supports young people between the ages of 16-24, directly influenced her decision to become a social worker. “I want to help. I want to do what someone did for me.” These life experiences are what informs her research interests of resilient reintegration among formerly incarcerated Black men; the impact of incarceration on children and families; strengths and resilience, particularly among communities of color; and dynamics of power, privilege and oppression towards active allyship.