Today we’d like to introduce you to William Syms.
Thanks for sharing your story with us William. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My entire life has been about service to the community. I grew up watching my parents open our home to our church, neighbors, and anyone who needed help. Their willingness to be of service shaped my worldview from a very young age. From a career, perspective graduating from high school at 16 and coming to Pasadena City College (PCC) really helped me understand my gifts and create a path that led to today. At Pasadena City College, I joined the Ujima Program and helped start a NAACP chapter, those two groups were fuel that propelled the vehicle my parent’s service created.
After two years at PCC, I transferred to Clark Atlanta University where I led the state young and college division of the NAACP and joined the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Upon completing degree I worked for Congressman Adam Schiff here as a field representative. Working for Congressman Schiff was a godsend, his district director Ann Peifer is a walking lesson in grace and professionalism, to work under her tutelage for four years prepared me for life, work, and so much more. Additionally, Congressman Schiff is excellence personified. I am lucky to have had that experience. During my time with Congressman Schiff, I also got my masters from Cal State Northridge. Two days after finishing my masters, I drove across country moving to DC where I worked for the NAACP National Office and Amnesty International. Amnesty International sent me to LA to join a campaign fighting to pass anti-death penalty law and during the campaign, I got laid off as leadership changed. During this time, I started a political consulting firm that won a school board race and lost a city council race. I closed the firm to lead the office of Neighborhood Connections for the City of Pasadena while simultaneously working with Pasadena City College on equity issues around men of color. In 2016, I left the city of Pasadena to consult on a presidential campaign and work more closely with the college.
After the disappointment of the campaign, I wanted a change, I needed to ground myself and focus. I convinced my high school girlfriend to marry me and we had a little boy named August. During this transition, I began working with TRIO programs at Pasadena City College and have been working to support first-generation students access resources that will create success in college. Somewhere between getting married, having a baby and shifting careers from politics to education, I began working on my doctorate at the University of Southern California (USC). My work is an honor, I have the privilege of being a cultural translator and awakening the genius that exists in young people. Daily I see examples of the impact my work makes, yesterday I received word that a student who attended a college tour we took to Atlanta was accepted to Clark Atlanta University. Beyond helping students, I am blessed to have the opportunity to do this work in the city I grew up in and at an institution that helped me connect my potential to practice which created a fulfilling career. Most recently, I became the Interim- Associate Dean of the Non-Credit Division which will allow me to expand my impact and serve the community as part of the leadership team of PCC Northwest located on the campus of John Muir High School (where I graduated from). Things are coming full circle and I am extremely grateful.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
There have been several challenges in my life and there will be more but I am focused on how blessed I am. Three things allow me to persist through the challenges of life; a grateful heart, not taking most things personal, and knowing the challenges are preparing me for something greater.
Being grateful helps me focus on what I have been blessed with when I was laid off, my car exploded and I was recovering from ACL replacement I focused on the fact that I was alive and had time to rest. I was grateful that I had support for housing and family that helped me through the transition. There have been times when people have said things about me that were untrue in an attempt to derail my career but I view that more as a reflection of the pain they are experiencing than as a personal attack. I learned to trust myself and be reassured by spirit and intentions that I bring to my work. In each of those instances, I have succeeded by not getting caught up fighting the lies but focusing on the work and letting it speak louder than any defense. I also know that God keeps his promise to prosper us, but that means we must be equipped with the tools to handle it. Anytime I am experiencing challenges, I am being prepared for increase. If I don’t lean into the challenge then I can’t gain the skills that will come through those lessons. Sometimes it takes a little more faith to lean in but ultimately leaning in is better than avoiding it.
Please tell us about Pasadena City College.
Pasadena City College provides the San Gabriel Valley with a high quality, innovative and dynamic learning environment that inspires student success. Each semester we offer academic programs that encompass degrees, transfer programs, and certificates to 30,250+ students. We are new students and returning students. We are local, international, and online. We span many cultures — LGBT, multicultural, veterans, and everyone else in between.
We are science and math, liberal arts, music and art, athletics, nursing and vocational arts. We are recognized educators, experienced staff, and caring counselors. We offer an opportunity for students to transfer to top schools or to find new careers. We are achievers, impactors, and innovators. We break barriers. We are proud, bold and strong. We are all here with one goal: to be great.
I am still learning about my new role as Interim Associate Dean of the Non-Credit Division but I am most excited about leading the expansion of service at Pasadena City College Northwest. It is an honor to be trusted by President Endrijonas and the community to step into this role. PCC Northwest having a presence at John Muir further instills the college-going culture cultivated by Principal Lawton Gray and expands options for Pasadena Unified School District students as well as community members. The Northwest campus is an access point to excellence for the community and will provide general-education courses and career training opportunities, giving attendees the chance to earn a job skills certificate over the course of a semester. We will continue to expand the dual-enrollment program for high schools students allowing them to earn college credit during the school day, helping families realized cost savings as they prepare to send their students to college.
What were you like growing up?
I was in a rush to be an adult, most of my youth was spent leaning things quickly. I spent some time in home school and acting so I developed a comfort with myself because I needed to learn to become characters and defining who I was really pivotal in that process. I finished high school at 16 so I became an adult relatively early but my youth was shaped by watching my parent help people, acting, and learning.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1570 E. Colorado Blvd
- Website: Pasadena.edu
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @willsyms
Image Credit:
Joseph Kindred, Yemi Kuku, Julie Klima Casey
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