This story has been edited since original post.

VALDOSTA — Tevin Williams, a Thomasville native and Valdosta State University graduate, is making changes in the Big Apple.

Williams is a legislative aide and constituent liaison in the Office of New York State Sen. Brad Hoylman while working as a part-time lifeguard and swim instructor at the YMCA of Greater New York.

With his hectic schedule, Williams still has time for additional community work and hobbies. He is the board president of Team New York Aquatics, the largest masters team in the country and one of the largest LGBTQ swim teams in the world, serves on the Parish Pastoral Council for St. Charles of Borromeo, and is relearning how to play the oboe and trumpet with the hopes of joining an orchestra.

“The first feeds me spiritually while the second feeds me physically and gives me a sense of community but the music is something that is different and keeps me sharp,” Williams said. “I genuinely value hard work but I also think it’s a great question of what are the outlets of the work I have to do and the work I chose to do and how it fuels certain needs in my life.”

He is a graduate of Thomas County Central High School and a 2015 graduate of VSU with a bachelor of fine arts in mass media.

At VSU, Williams was a residential assistant and Blazer cheerleader. While pursuing his degree he continued to work at the YMCA, while being a part of the Blazer News in the mass media department.

Michael Taylor, retired VSU Mass Media faculty, said, “Tevin was a great student and he was very active in the mass media department. He had natural leadership skills, excellent interpersonal skills, was intellectually engaged, and did very well in our theory courses which led me to believe he would be more than an on-air talent.”

Taylor said he and his wife, Trish, decided early not to have children and as a college professor, he would “adopt” many students as his children and watch their success through college.

“I do not know anyone who did not like Tevin. He has been active in the betterment of people and has always had a good way of putting others before himself.”

Taylor and his wife had dinner with Williams on their visit to New York where they learned of his new career path.

Taylor said, “I am super proud of him and being able to stay in touch throughout the years to celebrate that moment and being able to see him succeed is rewarding.

“This highlights another VSU grad that is doing very well at a young age, he’s gone a long way in a short time and it is a real good credit to mass media graduates who are often overlooked,” Taylor added. “Tevin’s story points up that mass media is more than just on-air talents but his degree gave him the background in communication.”

Williams began at VSU with the hope of one day being a news anchor. Following graduation, he attended Stetson University in DeLand, Florida, to obtain a master of business administration but halfway through he was fueled by his dream to serve others.

“I loved working with the community to find stories while at Valdosta State and I wanted to be able to blend my love of storytelling and community service so I was prompted to move to New York to get into public service,” he said.

Williams arrived in New York with a job lined up at the YMCA and interviews lined up at multiple state senators offices.

“I am a product of Thomasville YMCA and it was and still is in my heart between all three states I’ve lived in because it was such an integral part of my childhood.”

Williams was chosen by Hoylman for his hard work and dedication to service. He is one of the youngest and the only Black and queer male in his office with a Valdosta State degree among the sea of Harvard, Columbia, Yale, and other prestigious university degrees.

“It is an incredible feeling to be able to follow the stories and make changes in public policy,” Williams said. “I still am in media and I use my fine arts degree every day in the office and engage with the community.”

Williams thanked his TCC high school teacher Randy Young and VSU mass media professors Dr. Nicole Cox, Jason Brown, Frank Barnas (retired), Greg Brown (retired), and Taylor for their dedication to seeing him succeed.

“I came from an incredible village that truly poured into me. I encourage anyone to do whatever you are passionate about because if you have that drive and mindset, it’s going to carry you much farther than others,” he said.

“We all come from so many backgrounds and I want to be that representative to the other ‘Tevin Williams’ out there. Serve your community and be a good representative of where you came from.”