Howard High senior collects lanyards to mark college visits, acceptances
Donald Williams is a member of Mercer University’s Upward Bound program, which has allowed him to tour college campuses across the country. He says his acceptance letter pushed his total to 60.
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – College Decision Day is around the corner for high school seniors, and Howard High School senior Donald Williams has dozens of options to choose from.
An acceptance letter from Southern University over the weekend marked Williams’ sixtieth overall. Williams is a member of Mercer University’s Upward Bound program, which has allowed him to tour college campuses across the country beginning in the summer after his tenth-grade year. On those visits, he says students ask tour guides a multitude of questions, but he decided to more.
“After you ask those questions you get the answers, but after the college tour you don’t have any trace or information to keep track of all of the colleges you’ve been to,” Williams said. “So, I wanted to start something new. Go to the bookstore, find a lanyard, and keep track of the ones I visited and make sure I apply to them.”
Williams has maintained a 4.0 GPA while being a triathlete. He says he plans to major in computer science, with a possible double major in mechanical engineering. He was recently named Central Georgia Local Youth of the Year at the Mary Felton Tindall Boys & Girls Club for his work as a STEM mentor. Williams says he helps with science projects, teaches math and computer coding.
“It’s like a good process for me to gain insight on how I can build a future impact on others,” Williams said.
Deloris Mercer has had Williams in class for the past three years and currently teaches him AP Calculus. She was brought to tears describing Williams’s eagerness to be challenged and help out his peers each day.
“You want to teach somebody in your career that works hard and listens,” Mercer said. “And the sky is the limit.”
Katrina Williams has enjoyed the closest front row seat to her son’s success. She says she challenged him at the beginning of the school year to fill up a flyer of college acceptances after seeing the idea on Pinterest. Katrina says she offered Donald a reward in exchange for filling up the flyer, but he turned it down.
“That right there told me that he doesn’t have to get anything as a reward to make me happy,” Katrina said. “He wants to do this himself. He just needs me to encourage him along the way and give him that opportunity, and that’s what I have been doing.”
At an age where people can be heavily influenced by others, Williams wants to use that power for good. He says he hopes the younger students he mentors, and those walking the halls around him look at his collection of lanyards and see the importance of setting goals and dreaming big.
“After people have been seeing me with a whole bunch of lanyards on my bookbag, I’ve seen a trend where other people would start bringing their lanyards as well,” Williams said. “So, if there’s a trend that they want to start, they can start it, and other people will bring on and catch on to it.”
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