Arzelia Williams, a student in the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities, or RCAH, and James Madison College at Michigan State University, has been selected as a Forbes Under 30 scholar.
As part of the prestigious honor, Williams will be attending the Forbes Under 30 Summit in Detroit Oct. 27-30.
The summit features a bevy of celebrity speakers from all different backgrounds, including Serena Williams, Olivia Munn, Antoni Porowski and more.
Williams will graduate in December with double bachelor’s degrees from RCAH and James Madison College, where she focused on social relations and policy, as well as with a minor in public relations from the College of Communication Arts and Sciences.
During her time in RCAH, Williams has traveled across the globe to both study abroad and help communities in need. She was profiled in a story on RCAH’s website in March. She also has interned at the RCAH Center for Poetry and worked for the Career Services Network.
“I have learned a lot about how to seek out opportunities that will either utilize my current skill set or help to develop new skills that could be beneficial in the future,” Williams said.
A Detroit native, Williams has made the most of her time at MSU. Among her many adventures, she has traveled to Costa Rica to help build playing fields and gardens for school children, spent time in Dubai studying the effect of women’s artistic programming on the economy and volunteered in men’s correctional facilities in Michigan, where she worked on poetry and creative arts workshops.
Williams also held an internship at Veterans United Home Loans in Columbia, Missouri, in the summers of 2018 and 2019.
“Arzelia’s potential stood out to us the moment we met her through MSU’s career services," said Loreli Wilson, director of Inclusion and Social Impact Programs at Veterans United Home Loans. “She’s brought us perspective and innovation from her experiences at MSU, and we could not be prouder of her achievements.”