#CYProfessional: Tra’Von Williams
Tra’Von Williams serves as an outreach coordinator with Rising Scholars. The program supports formerly-incarcerated, system-impacted students in their higher education pursuits. Tra’Von is active in promoting the program and helping the students within it. Recently, he emceed a workshop called “Build Healthy Masculinity,” to redefine strength, emotion, and identity for male-identifying students. In an interview after the event, he looked back on his current impact on students and journey to get to a position to help them.
Please tell me a little bit about yourself, including your background and education?
My name is Tra’von Williams, but most people call me Tray. I’m from South Central Los Angeles, and I am a formerly incarcerated individual and a former foster youth.
I began my academic journey in community college back in 2003. Along the way, I faced homelessness, addiction, and constant struggles with mental health.
However, in 2017, everything began to change. That’s the year I got sober, and for the first time in a long time, I leaned on the support services and programs that were designed to help students like me.
Through Minority Male Initiatives, Rising Scholars, EOPS, and other programs I connected with, I found not only guidance but a community that believed in me even when I doubted myself.
With their support, I was able to transfer to Azusa Pacific University. The smaller campus environment was exactly what I needed, it gave me space to grow academically and personally. Most importantly, it helped shape and strengthen my spiritual perspective, allowing me to see my journey through a new lens of purpose and faith.
What brought you to Cypress College?
What brought me to Cypress was Anne-Marie Beck. I truly believe in all the incredible work she has done for students through the Rising Scholars Program, and I wanted to be part of the positive change she’s helped to build.
Sara Rodriguez and Rosa Martinez also believed in me; they saw that I had the passion, creativity, and heart to contribute to Anne-Marie’s movement. It felt like the stars aligned, and everything came together at the right time.
I’m deeply grateful to all three of them for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to be part of something meaningful.
How would you describe your work?
I would describe my work as love, because to me, education itself is an act of love. Many of our students have only experienced love on a conditional basis, but here at Rising Scholars the love is unconditional.
I also see my work as empowerment, helping our students reflect on their past experiences, even the painful or negative ones, and teaching them how to reframe those moments as seeds for growth. We guide them to use those experiences to rise, to keep showing up, and to move forward no matter what.
What drives you?
What drives me first and foremost is my team, and the love they pour into me. With every idea I bring forward, they support me wholeheartedly, and that support empowers me to give my best every single day.
I’m especially grateful for the mentorship I have with our counselor and brother, Brando Garcia; the authentic leadership of Cynthia Blakes, director of the RISE program; the unconditional support of Ana Camino; the leadership and humility of Devin; and Huey’s unwavering love and brotherhood toward me and Susan’s support.
Most importantly, I’m inspired daily by my students, Abraham, Frank Moreno, Brian Candyce Young, Lamora, Laura, Miguel, and so many others on my caseload. They continue to show up for workshops, support their peers, and help one another access the resources and community that can make all the difference, sometimes giving a student just enough strength to stay in school one more day when things get tough.
I wouldn’t be who I am today without them, my team, my students, and the love that keeps this community going.
Tell me a bit about your trip and work in Denmark?
Denmark was truly transformative. I went there expecting to teach and share my acts of love, but what I received in return was a profound understanding of rehabilitation, restorative justice, and the essence of humanity. Over the course of my visit, I had the privilege of teaching at three different facilities and two halfway houses across the country, which allowed me to refine my pedagogy, one that is deeply centered around love.
In these facilities, residents shared meals every day, experienced minimal racism, and were supported in meeting their basic needs. They were connected to high-quality services upon release, participated in art workshops, singing courses, and had time to work and be with their families. While these practices might seem simple, they are the building blocks of human development. A strong foundation in the basics of life allows individuals to grow into their full potential, principled, values-driven, and capable of making meaningful contributions to the world.
This experience profoundly shaped my work at Cypress College. I strive to bring elements of Denmark’s framework into our programs, ensuring that our students, too, have access to the foundational support they need to thrive. By nurturing these essentials, we help create not just educated students, but empowered, compassionate, and resilient human beings.
What else do you think we (the Board and others reading) should know about you individually and about your work?
We’re better together, so keep showing up.