Years of Dedication: Carolyn Williams

Carolyn Williams can often be found on Elgin Community College’s campus snapping photos, guiding lost visitors to the correct room, or grabbing snacks in the Jobe Lounge for the culinary students.  

When Williams graduated from ECC, she took a position with an insurance company in Schaumburg but quickly found the drive too taxing.  

“I was a single mom. By the time I got home from work, it was so late. I wanted more time with my son, so I looked for something closer. I found the position at ECC, and here we are,” Williams said. 

Williams has been an ECC employee for 36 years, starting as a clerk typist in the counseling center. 

“I helped the counselors learn on some of the very first computers ECC had purchased. They seemed very appreciative of my knowledge,” Williams said. 

After training the counselors, Williams moved to become the lab coordinator for the office administration technology department for 25 years. In 2016, she took the office coordinator position in the culinary and hospitality department.  

She credits former professor turned coworker, Sharon Fisher-Larson, for mentoring her in the early days. “She helped me grow. She was so supportive and the ultimate professional,” Williams said. 

Williams, always the first to offer help to others, was once asked to babysit a graduate’s child during the commencement ceremony. “She ended up not needing me, but I went to the commencement ceremony, just in case,” Williams said.  

Williams may be ECC’s biggest cheerleader, sporting branded shirts and sharing student stories on social media. “Our mission is the most fulfilling thing. That is why I have been here so long. I love ECC,” Williams said.