“I ended up being really good at it. Debate allowed me to build my analytical skills, my critical thinking skills and I was able to perform better at school,” she said.

Her debate team partner was Savannah Jeanne Walker. Eventually the two ended up becoming best friends.

In March 2017, Savannah, was shot and killed at a concert in west Louisville, an innocent victim of gun violence. The UofL junior was 20 years old.��

“I just thought there’s no way that this is happening. Savannah was everyone’s best friend. She was such a spiritual person that everyone loved,” Williams said. “It was hard for me.”

Williams knew Savannah wouldn’t want her to wallow, however.

“She would be wanting me to do things in her honor, so I try to embody that spirit that she had,” Williams said.

Williams got a new debate partner, excelled in the classroom, expanded her volunteer work in west Louisville and became a finalist for a prestigious Fulbright scholarship. She will either end up in Trinidad and Tobago on a research grant as part of the Fulbright program, or teaching in Brooklyn and pursuing a master’s degree.

“What really helped me was the faculty that was always checking on me and making sure I’m good,” she said. “Really everything has come together for me and I appreciate it. I will miss Louisville a lot.”

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That’s because, in addition to her own graduation May 12 from UofL’s College of ����ֱ�� and Human Development, three of her four children will also graduate this spring.

The graduates are her twin daughters, Danae and Denise, who will finish high school, and her son, Dustin, who has finished studies at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College.

The quadruple celebration marks a big milestone for Trevino-Jones, who earned a master’s degree in human resources and organizational development, but she says that some of the obstacles during her academic journey were so monumental that she almost gave up hope.

“I returned to college as a divorced mother of four to get my graduate degree,” she says. “I knew it was not going to be easy, but I was excited and hopeful. Little did I know, I would be in the fight of my life.”

The first blow was when she learned that her father would need a kidney transplant. Trevino-Jones made the difficult decision to donate her own kidney to him. But, before the transplant was completed, the family was thrown for another loop when her mother was diagnosed with cancer on Easter Sunday, 2017, and passed away three weeks later.

Then, even as the family was still reeling from grief and shock, her father went to the hospital for a routine surgery and complications led to a six-week stay and concerns over whether he would ever be able to walk again.

Discouraged, Trevino-Jones wanted to drop out of college. She sought out her adviser, CEHD professor , but when Cumberland found out what was going on, she took swift action to help Trevino-Jones continue.

“Dr. Cumberland never gave up on me,” said Trevino-Jones. “When I could only manage enough faith for the day, she held my hand the whole way through it.”

Trevino-Jones said CEHD faculty were quick to help too, including , Kathleen Gosser and .

“UofL has a great team of educators. I can’t say enough good things about them,” Trevino-Jones said.

Despite her difficulties, Trevino-Jones was able to complete her master’s level coursework in two years. Building on her human resources experience at Ireland Army Health Clinic at Fort Knox, she hopes to land a new job in the same field.

Looking back, Trevino-Jones said, “Replaying this year in my head has been hard. I just wanted others to know that we all have struggles and that when you are at your lowest in life — courage, strength and dedication doesn’t always come from within. It comes from those other great human beings around you.”