Driven by Purpose: How DU Shaped Aliyah Williams' Path Towards a Doctoral Degree

Meet Aliyah Williams, a 2021 alumna of the University of Denver, who double-majored in psychology and criminology and minored in political science, part of the College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences (CAHSS). Williams is currently pursuing her doctoral degree in counseling psychology at the University of Akron in Ohio. 

During her four years at DU, Williams was a recipient of the Puksta Scholarship and served as a Puksta Scholar, in which she engaged in community-based social justice work exploring mental health stigma within incarcerated communities, as well as the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on communities of color and media portrayals of Black people during the pandemic. Student retreats and community gatherings further shaped her time at DU, building close connections that reinforced her belief in the power of human relationships. 

Additionally, Williams' minor in political science taught her the ideological framework for understanding how laws have historically shaped and harmed communities of color, a framework that continues to inform her doctoral research today. 

For Williams, the path forward has always been guided by purpose over convention, and it's something she hopes to teach others throughout her professional career in psychology and advocacy.