Month of Heroes: Alfonso Williams

Meet Alfonso Williams.

Age: 23

Year graduated from JU and major: 2012/Political Science

Hometown: West Palm Beach, Fla.

Branch/Rank: U.S. Army/Specialist

Service: 8 months, Paratrooper, assigned to a Military Information Support Operations unit

Tell us about your service experience. Jumping out of airplanes and Blackhawks is unreal. I was already in pretty great shape before the military, but I haven’t felt better. I have already been put in a leadership position as the squad leader in my S1 shop. My Army career is starting pretty well; I just have to stay determined and level-headed to continue to succeed.

What are some of your memorable experiences from college? One is that I pledged one of the greatest fraternities in college, Alpha Phi Alpha. The greatest memory of all is walking across the stage on Dec. 15, 2012, for graduation. To see all my friends and family just as excited and happy for me was a feeling like no other. Also, being the first out of my eight siblings to graduate college was a dream come true.

Any favorite classes? Criminology. It was a fun class and also a big interest of mine, especially with me trying to be in the FBI one day.

What sets JU apart? The one-on-one experience you get with your professors. You can actually see their true passion in teaching and not just treating it like a 9-to-5 job.

Meet the other students we’re recognizing during the Month of Heroes, learn more about our military students and alumni here on Wave Magazine, or visit the Veterans and Military Resource Center online to learn how JU serves those who’ve served.