MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- For Staff Sgt. Valesia Williams, the Air Force is more than a career, it is a calling to make a difference in the lives of others. As the non-commissioned officer in charge at the 42nd Air Base Wing Equal Opportunity Office, Williams is on the front lines of ensuring fairness and respect within the military.
With two and a half years at Maxwell, Williams has consistently been called upon to take on responsibilities beyond her assigned duties and rank, demonstrating exceptional leadership and commitment to the mission.
"From the time she got here she's grown tremendously in terms of maturity and knowledge,” said Master Sgt. Latoya Hamiliton, superintendent of EO. “She came in as a three-level and has progressed to a seven-level. She's taken on huge responsibilities, even as an NCO and that's not something many can do."
While Hamiliton deployed for a year Williams had to dual-hat the roles of the NCOIC and superintendent.
“We support the mission by ensuring that individuals within the organization and outside the organization can work freely in a healthy, cohesive environment and that they are educated on equal opportunity laws and policies that pertain to both the Air Force and civilian world,” said Williams.
Initially entering the Air Force as an aerospace ground equipment specialist, Williams later retrained into Equal Opportunity after a transformative experience at a wing staff meeting. She recited Amanda Gorman’s poem “The Hill We Climb,” which inspired her to pursue a career path that helps and inspires others.
“So many people were inspired and touched by me reciting this poem and the way I did it, that I felt that I was closer to what I actually wanted to do in life, which is help people, be able to inspire people and be able to connect with people,” said Williams.
Williams, while appreciating her time in AGE, felt a deeper calling to help others, prompting her to explore what it would take to cross-train into equal opportunity.
Williams applied her knowledge gained from working with peers in AGE and leveraged her interpersonal skills to begin a new career in equal opportunity. Moments during a deployment in Bagram, Afghanistan specifically stretched Williams and helped her grow and become a staff sergeant.
“I was maintenance at the time, I really didn't see how my career field fit into the Air Force mission before this moment,” said Williams. “But being out there and having someone saying ‘Hey, we need you out here right now to get this power cart going so we can get this plane down range.’ So, we could go save people, pick people up or get the gunships out. It changed my perspective altogether.”
It was the moment of clarity needed to remind Williams of the importance of what the mission is.
“I kind of realized, like, wow, they need me. Like, this mission will not get done without me. There's no one else to do it. It's literally me,” said Williams.
In the line of work that Williams does, things can be very heavy, constantly hearing people who are in distress, being discriminated against or being harassed. Williams prides herself on being able to have fun and take peoples mind off things.
“When I realized, coming into EO how I can affect other people that's really something that I really enjoy, being able to talk to people on a daily basis,” said Williams “I feel committed to serving, and I feel honored to serve, and I feel happy to be able to provide for my child. I have a two-year-old daughter that I love so much.”