James Williams’ first semester will be in Scotland

James Williams always dreamt of going to Carolina. His grandmother attended the University, so the first-year student has fond memories of visiting Chapel Hill as a child.

“It’s an unbelievable mix of a great town, great academics and a great community,” said Williams. “Every time I’m in Chapel Hill, people are so nice and want to have conversations with others. It’s emblematic of the Carolina community.”

A graduate of Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C, Williams started playing football in middle school and continued through high school. When he was a sophomore, the team’s beloved head coach left unexpectedly. Players were talking about quitting or transferring schools, so Williams stepped into that leadership role and even helped the team develop a search committee to find a new coach. The experience taught him how to build relationships and connect with younger players.

Williams will miss the first Tar Heel football game this year because he won’t be on campus. As part of Carolina Global Launch, he’ll spend the fall semester at the University of Stirling in Scotland studying alongside other Tar Heels and come to Carolina in the spring.

“I’ve always wanted to travel and see more of the world,” said Williams. “It’s important to grow as a person by being in different environments, understanding different cultures and applying that back to your own life. I’m excited to then come back to Carolina with that experience and see how I can be a better community member.”

He also hopes to use his interest in law and criminal justice as part of the Carolina community. The summer before his junior year in high school, he participated in Georgetown University’s law academy. He went to the Washington, D.C., courthouse to sit in on cases and saw criminal justice attorneys argue on behalf of their clients. The experience inspired him to start a law club at his school to discuss legal issues weekly.

The next summer, Williams interned at a public defender’s office in Prince George’s County in Maryland, which deepened his passion for criminal justice. He worked on cases with attorneys, obtained witness statements, examined evidence, and met with clients and witnesses.

This internship opened his eyes to the issue that public defenders’ offices often struggle with being underfunded.

“A common problem facing public defenders is their inability to fulfill the promise that everyone receives equal representation no matter who they are because of their lack of resources,” said Williams. “Coming to UNC, I want to explore how we can create a more equal justice system that fulfills our Constitution’s promise.”

Williams plans to major in history at Carolina, hoping to combine that with his love for criminal justice.

“History interests me because it allows us to understand what’s going on now. It’s fun to learn about different time periods and think about how it applies to where we are today,” said Williams. “Then we can use that to make the world a better place.”

That’s his ultimate goal for his time at Carolina, too.

“At Sidwell, we were taught to use our learning to make the world around you a better place. That’s something I want to carry through at UNC,” Williams said. “UNC offers so many opportunities to do that. I really appreciate Carolina’s research opportunities and the fantastic professors that students have a chance to work with. I want to apply what I’m learning and my research to make the community and world better.”