PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas – “Remember, it is a marathon and not a sprint.” Sound advice coming from Jayla Williams, who is about to get a B.S. degree in kinesiology this fall from Prairie View A&M University after a mere three and a half years. Graduating with honors and a 3.79 G.P.A., Williams aspires to be a physical therapist and, eventually, have her own clinic.

Jayla Williams

“Volunteering at Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital and Ben Taub Hospital, I fell in love with it,” Williams said. “Seeing how you can change a person’s quality of life with simple movement excited me. People tend to underestimate the importance of movement and exercise, and I want to be an advocate for physical health.”

Williams is a Houston native who initially wasn’t sure where she wanted to attend college. “Being that my dad went to an HBCU, he made the suggestion of Prairie View,” Williams said. “After taking a tour of the campus, I knew this was where I needed to be for the next years of my life. Many of my high school classmates and teachers tried to discourage my decision, but I stuck with it, and I can wholeheartedly say I’m glad I didn’t listen to my peers. Prairie View has an energy that is unmatched in comparison to the other colleges I toured. It was a refreshing feeling, and it felt like home from the moment I stepped on campus.”

Her time at PVAMU included roles with the Panther PhDs (Panthers Promoting Healthy Decisions), NAACP, and Pre-Health Educators, involvement she credits with “helping me grow and mature as an adult woman,” she said. “I have learned how to have a voice and advocate not only for myself but for others. Before joining these organizations, I had a shy personality, but over the years, I have grown and have become more outspoken.”

With graduate school in physical therapy on the horizon, Williams looks back fondly on Prairie View A&M’s family atmosphere — her favorite thing about the school. “Here at Prairie View, people are always looking out for you, whether it’s the students, faculty or staff,” she said. “We may fight or argue like any real family, but when it’s time to come together, we come together.”

That said, while Williams loved her Prairie View experience, she admitted that, at times, she felt tested — and not just at exam time.

“Through those challenges, I learned how to take my failures and turn them into successes,” said Williams. “PVAMU instills a ‘never-give-up mindset.’ When something doesn’t work out, you learn to operate in a manner where things still need to get done, regardless of whatever mistakes you make.”

All of which informs her advice to current students. “Tend to your dreams and aspirations, and not everyone else’s successes, which could cause you to ignore your intended goals,” Williams said. “Just be humble and remain focused — your time is coming.”

By Andrew Cohen

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