In 2008, 16-year-old Gabriel Windsor walked the halls of Sunset High School in Dallas with a serious demeanor and a secret struggle — a stutter that had placed him in special education and chipped away at his confidence.
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Then he met Emian Williams.
“She’s like a mother to me,” Windsor said. “She taught me how to talk, dress and make a resume.”
Williams, a transition specialist with the Bridges from School to Work program, spotted Windsor’s potential the moment she located him down the hall. He was serious, and the other students were being loud and boisterous, she said. After introducing herself, Williams cracked a few jokes, but it wasn’t until they went into her office that he calmed down and opened up.
Bridges, a national nonprofit founded to connect young adults with disabilities — especially those from underserved communities — to jobs and independent living, had just opened its North Texas branch in 2005.
The best strategy for him is practice, Williams told Windsor. That included helping Windsor complete job applications, practice interviews and dress for success.
“I always carry myself well and suit up,” Windsor said. “Williams said one thing you can’t take back is a first impression, which has shaped my work ethic.”
Bridges helped him land his first job as a janitor at a Baylor hospital in Dallas. He wasn’t thrilled at first, scrubbing toilets didn’t seem like a win. But Williams told him, whether he’s CEO or scrubbing toilets for a living, his name would be on everything he did, so be the best at it.
“That’s stuck with me and I’ve come a long way because of those words alone,” Windsor said.
Beyond the workplace, Williams helped Windsor tackle his speech challenges by connecting him with a speech pathologist who assigned him reading exercises to boost his confidence.
She also taught him how to write out goals and reverse engineer his dreams.
“Whatever your goals are, how do you get there?” Windsor said. “Write it down step-by-step, and that structure changed my life.”
Williams transferred the skills she learned in the Army and from the Bridges program to her students, she said.
Windsor needed that structure more than ever when his mother was diagnosed with chronic-obstructive pulmonary disease. Bedridden and unable to work, Windsor dropped out of college to care for his mom.
As Windsor faced those challenges, Williams remained a constant source of support.
“Williams helped Windsor open his mind,” he said. “She didn’t have to help out, but she genuinely cared and changed lives for the better.”
Even now, in his 30s, she still helps him with things like changing his address. Nearly two decades later, she’s still awesome, Windsor said.
Williams said she never planned to stay connected so long, but Windsor’s character compelled her. Not long after she met him, his mother got sick. He could’ve been out living his life, but instead, he stepped up with no hesitation. His selfless duty to care for his mom was inspiring, she said.
Robert Mollard, director of the Dallas Fort Worth Bridges program, hired Williams 20 years ago. She was so eager, she showed up a day early to the interview. She was one of the first hires.
“When she came back the next day, we had a laugh over the situation,” Mollard said. “She captivated me with her personality, excitement and her passion, when I hired her.”
Most of Bridges’ students are young people of color from underserved communities. The program works with youth ages 16-24, helping them overcome barriers to employment, education and independent living.
Williams has helped so many people find jobs, get food assistance and temporary housing, Mollard said. She goes the extra mile to make sure the kids are as successful as they can be.
Windsor, now a skilled machinist, is achieving financial and long-term career goals.
Watching students like Windsor thrive is what success is, Williams said.
And for Windsor, her impact is still as strong as the day she chased him down the hall.
“She cares,” Windsor said. “You won’t find that with a lot of educators.”
Orlando Torres is a reporting fellow for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at orlando.torres@fortworthreport.org.
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