Rooted in Legacy, Shaping Tomorrow

How Malcolm Williams ’25 Honors His Heritage

Growing up in two vastly different settings of the same country—Monroe, North Carolina, and South Central Los Angeles—Malcolm Williams’ parents provided two different perspectives to life. 

He calls his mother an angel, saying she instilled in him both compassion and the understanding that knowledge is valuable, while his father’s stern discipline provided him with a sense of responsibility and independence. The combination of his parents’ teachings made him the young man he is today, without forgetting that it was the combinations of their parents before them— and theirs before them— that added up to the result.

Raised in sunny southeast San Diego, Malcolm Williams, a senior double majoring in international business and supply chain management, was given the opportunity to attend private Catholic school from the age of three years old through his parent’s hard work and persistence at his academic and athletic success. 

“My parents didn’t go to private school, they grew up much differently than we did. What I admire about them the most is that they try and give us –not try– but they did give me and my brother everything that they didn't have, and when I have kids and have a family, I aspire to do the same thing,” said Malcolm. 

His journey began at Saint Rita’s elementary school with an eighth grade class of 17 people, graduating up to Saint Augustine high school where he received his diploma among 170 other students being one of only six who were Black. “Every time I walked into a class, I knew there may be only one other Black person or no other Black people… it is what it is, and I am who I am,” noted Malcolm. “So I just tell people, Black people in particular, just be yourself and don't worry about all the other stuff.” 

The experience of being surrounded by other ethnicities, coupled with his mom’s encouragement to be kind and curious, started Malcolm’s cultural exploration and goal of community-building in everything he did. 

“When I got to high school, there were a lot of kids from Mexico that crossed the border every day just to come to school and in class they would be speaking Spanish amongst themselves but I really just wanted to talk. So I learned Spanish and it kind of started from there, which taught me how to be comfortable being vulnerable [in group settings].” 

Growing up playing sports, following in the footsteps of his father and older brother, Malcolm was introduced to a strong sense of support, both at home and at school. Every other weekend his parents would pack him into the car, trekking eight hours to St. George, Utah to watch his brother play college football. Eventually, when the University of San Diego scouted Malcolm for football on his 18th birthday, he knew he would find a way to bring the same support and community he was raised with to college. 

Malcolm’s peers and teammates, such as Jerry Riggins, have echoed the sentiment stating, “He has done a great job of making Knauss a mixing pot of diversity by introducing his Mexican friends with his other friends and building a sense of community for Knauss with his past connections, meshing them with his current ones.” 

“Being at USD, there's a lot of people from other countries that I've been able to meet. I've become really comfortable with opening myself up and asking questions, because it's something I aspire to do, to travel and work abroad, being an international business major,” Malcolm stated. “I think it’s a priceless experience for me to interact with other people's cultures.”

Not only did Malcolm grow up showing an interest in other cultures, but his own ancestry and lineage, following his family tree decades back to learn about the lives of the people who shaped who he is today. 

“One of the things my father always said was, ‘Don't do anything if you're not gonna do it right’,” said Malcolm. “It’s how I live today and it makes me happy because I know his mother taught him the same thing, so it feels good to know that there's these lessons that are just getting passed down our lineage.” 

Eventually through his family and research Malcolm learned of his great uncle named Robert F. Williams, an American civil rights leader and author, who worked to defend the rights of people of color in Monroe, North Carolina. 

The concept of learning his genealogy encouraged Malcolm to understand that the obstacles he faced in his life are always achievable, because his ancestors dealt with so much in order for him to stand here, college-educated and traveling the world. 

“Just learning those stories and hearing my grandma speak about them, then years later being named Malcolm and understanding who Malcolm X is, it just gives me a lot of power and I feel like I've been able to embrace my possibilities and the things that I can do, no matter what it is. If I want to make a change, I have the name, I have the lineage, and the ancestors behind me to do it.”

– By Jess Applonie