Growing up in Detroit, Kamau Williams ‘90 never saw himself at a place like Cranbrook. But with the help of the Horizons Upward Bound or HUB Program, he acquired a scholarship and spent the last two years of his high school journey at Cranbrook. 

He joins host Robert Li to chat about his first memories of stepping onto campus, finding his people at Cranbrook through HUB & 4A programs, memories from his time on the football team. and how his community supported him to keep pursuing opportunities at Cranbrook.

Kamau is a former physical education teacher and currently works for Delta Airlines. He also serves on the Cranbrook School Board of Governors in the HUB Governor Position. 

• Kamau Williams on LinkedIn

Kamau’s first thoughts visiting Cranbrook auditorium as a kid

03:04 - You see the names on the wall in there of all the people with the academic pros from the thirties and forties and you're like, wow, what did they do to get their name up there? And it's all this beautiful wood and you see the stage. And that was my first impression, just shock and awe quite honestly.

Kamau’s advice to his former self and future students

16:30 - Be more fearless. Be a lot more fearless. You feel like something's wrong? Speak up a little bit more.

How he hopes to influence students through his new board position

21:36 - It's a grand opportunity to be seen and be that example for the students that are there and let them know, "Hey, a kid from Detroit who had no idea he'd ever be here is here." So no matter where you're from, you can do it. We’re here to support you mentally and physically.