Kelly Williams, the newest member of the History and Religion Department, said that her decision to join Masters came from “the strong sense of community and focus on imagination Masters offers.”

Williams, although currently towards the beginning of her career, wants to pursue teaching for the rest of her life. “I would much rather be in the classroom than out of it,” Williams said.

Her favorite thing about teaching is finding ways to creatively translate her own understanding to her students. She loves learning from her students as much as she loves teaching them.

“I am mostly looking forward to seeing the projects my students deliver because both my classes have projects coming up,” Williams said.

Williams currently teaches World Religions and American Studies. She notes that she is “impressed by the engagement and encouragement towards students and how welcoming Masters has been.” Williams loved seeing the school spirit at Founders Day and was very enthusiastic and excited for Halloween.

When talking about her experiences so far at Masters, Williams said, “I am pleasantly surprised by the patience and generosity of the students in encouraging me, as a teacher, to take risks.”

Before coming to Masters, Williams taught at a few other schools, including a year at University of Georgia and various summer and weekend courses at Vanderbilt University. She also worked at a non-profit organization called Champions for Kids for two years, while simultaneously being at graduate school full time.

Williams grew up in North Carolina alongside her older sister, now a veterinarian, and her younger brother, a tennis pro. Although her siblings still live in their hometown, Williams has been living in Queens for two years now. In Queens, she enjoys getting to know her neighbors and in her spare time enjoys learning to play the banjo.

Williams majored in English at Davidson College and earned her Master’s degree in religion at the University of Georgia. She is currently working on getting her Ph.D. in American religious history at Vanderbilt University.