Today, we are honoring Isabelle Williams, ECB’s 2016 VP of Finance. Due to COVID-19, the graduating class of 2020 was unable to experience traditional graduation celebrations and ceremonies. ECB interviewed each member of the 2016 senior leadership team to get a sense for how Enloe Charity Ball impacted their journey through college and how they will continue to be #AlivewithPurpose.
What position did you hold?
VP of Finance! $$
What university are you graduating from?
University of Michigan. Go blue!
What degree are you graduating with? Are you graduating with honors? Feel free to share GPA or honors designation.
B.S. in Computer Science with a 3.75 GPA.
What’s your favorite ECB memory?
It’s so hard to pick a favorite! There are a couple of moments that stand out in my mind: I loved visiting charities with my prez-vp. Seeing what problems the Raleigh area faces and the awesome work being done to mitigate them was particularly eye-opening, and additionally it was really bonding for the 5 of us. I also really enjoyed Space Jam, an event that involved many from the student body who had been previously uninvolved with ECB. Seeing my peers supporting each other’s talents in a way that ultimately supported our charity was incredible.
How has ECB impacted your life? How has it influenced your next move after college?
ECB gave me something to pour my energy, excitement and passion into at a very young age. It showed me how much joy mission-driven hard work brings me. One of my biggest takeaways from that time in my life is that I need an outlet like that — I need to love the work that I do!
On a personal note, the skills I learned overseeing ECB’s finances taught me lessons that I carry with me still. After college, I was debating between two different but related roles, Software Engineering and Program Management. I wasn’t necessarily thinking about ECB when I chose the latter option, but, looking back, my ECB experience formed a lot of the skills needed for the role. PM roles require a lot of bigger-picture thinking, planning and organizing to create and design tech products, much like the amount of planning and organizing it took to oversee a huge student body in raising tens of thousands of dollars for a charity. I’m so thankful that ECB provided me and my peers room to learn, grow, try, and sometimes fail at these skills so that we could graduate high school ready for whatever comes next.
Are you involved in any service organizations and/or student government? Elaborate.
Unfortunately no! I really strayed from the StuCo path in college. I was heavily involved in the computer science department — I helped teach our introductory CS course, I was involved with department DEI initiatives, and I’m a member of Kappa Theta Pi, a pre-professional technology fraternity. And for fun I did a lot with Hillel and I was in a social sorority.
What are your future plans career-wise?
I’ll be a Program Manager at Microsoft in Seattle, WA!
Do you have any advice for future ECB leaders?
This is just your beginning! One thing Mr. Barilich told my Prez VP before we went to college really stood out to me: You may feel like ECB is the biggest deal in the world right now, and you guys are amazing for what you have done, but in college no one will care. No one will know what that is or, even if you bore them with an explanation, they will not truly understand what it means. Take the lessons you’ve learned here with you and do great things, but don’t let this be your defining experience. Keep doing even better!
