Some people measure success by titles. Others measure it by the lives they help change.

For Terrel Williams, success has always been about creating opportunities that allow others to reach their full potential. A Pittsburgh native raised in the Hill District, Williams understands that talent exists in every neighborhood. What often determines a person’s future isn’t ability, it’s access.

That belief has shaped both his personal journey and his professional mission.

Today, Williams is recognized as a community leader with more than eight years of experience in workforce development, education, and community engagement. Throughout his career, he has worked alongside schools, employers, nonprofits, and community organizations to connect individuals and families with education, career opportunities, and the resources needed to build stable futures.

But his passion didn’t begin inside a boardroom. It began through personal adversity.

While attending the University of Pittsburgh, Williams lost his financial aid, forcing him to put his college dreams on hold. What followed was nearly a decade of determination as he searched for a way back into higher education.

Instead of giving up, he kept moving forward.

That journey eventually led him to the Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC), where he rebuilt his academic foundation before earning a bachelor’s degree in Theology and later a master’s degree in Secondary Education from Carlow University. Those experiences forever changed how he viewed education. He learned firsthand that success isn’t always about intelligence or work ethic. Sometimes it’s simply about having someone open a door.

Today, Williams spends his career opening those doors for others.

Since joining the Homeless Children’s Education Fund in 2023, he has helped create life-changing opportunities for hundreds of students throughout the Pittsburgh region. Under his leadership, more than 400 young people have received academic, career, and personal development support designed to prepare them for success both inside and outside the classroom. He has also led the organization’s Teen CEO initiative, giving more than 200 students access to career exploration, workforce development, leadership development, financial literacy, and college readiness experiences that many otherwise may never have received.

Understanding that financial barriers often prevent students from continuing their education, Williams also helped ensure that 100 students received Hope Through Learning scholarships, providing critical support to help them pursue higher education.

Yet for Williams, the statistics tell only part of the story.

His greatest accomplishment isn’t measured by how many students participated in a program. It’s measured by the confidence they develop, the opportunities they discover, and the belief they gain that their future can be different from their past.

Williams believes meaningful change happens through collaboration. By bringing together schools, colleges, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and community leaders, he continues creating pathways that allow young people to dream bigger and achieve more.

His story serves as a reminder that obstacles don’t have to define a person’s future. Sometimes the greatest leaders are those who have walked through adversity themselves and return to help others find a better path.

For Terrel Williams, that’s more than community service. It’s his life’s purpose.

 

Q: Growing up in Pittsburgh’s Hill District, how did your upbringing shape the person and leader you’ve become today?

A: I think growing up in the Hill District—or any historic Black community for that matter—teaches you how to deal with every type of person. Being born and raised in low-income housing, you have no choice but to go outside and find something to do. The good times and the bad times create tough skin and stubborn determination. Those experiences helped shape who I am today and taught me resilience at an early age.

 

Q: You experienced firsthand what it’s like to lose financial aid and spend years finding your way back to college. Looking back, what kept you motivated during that difficult season?

A: Bruh, that was a beast of a time. Pittsburgh can be very unkind to the uneducated. I worked some of the worst jobs, and there were times I almost slipped into becoming comfortable with a “mid-level” salary job. What kept me motivated was a memory and an experience. My big sister graduated from Howard University in 1992. I saw Washington, D.C. when it was Chocolate City. I saw Black people with education, careers, and financial success. No matter what challenges I faced, I always remembered that my world was bigger than my failures.

 

Q: Many people would’ve given up after facing those setbacks. What made you keep believing education was worth fighting for?

A: No matter what, it felt like God was calling me to be better. I would spend lunch breaks reading leadership books, studying theology, writing poetry, and putting my thoughts into essays. There was always that little voice in my head saying: “You’re better than people think you are. One day, you’ll show them.” That belief never left me.

 

Q: How did your experiences at CCAC, Carlow University, and earning your degrees change your perspective on opportunity and access?

A: The best thing that happened to me was enrolling at CCAC. I was always smart, but I wasn’t always a good student. CCAC gave me the opportunity to build habits that matched my intelligence. Sometimes people simply need to learn how to study and develop discipline. Carlow gave me something different—it gave me connection. By the time I attended Carlow, I was already a husband and father. I wasn’t hanging around campus like a traditional student. My professors got to know me, my wife, and my children. They invested in me personally. Both schools went above and beyond to encourage me, and those experiences showed me how important access to quality post-secondary education and supportive faculty can be.

 

Q: Since joining the Homeless Children’s Education Fund, you’ve helped impact hundreds of students. What’s been one of the most rewarding moments you’ve experienced?

A: Watching students go from shy, introverted children living in shelters to becoming confident advocates for themselves and others. I’ve seen a young woman battling depression stand up and demand that people pay attention to homelessness. I’ve seen a young man with severe anxiety find the courage to speak with the mayor, county executive, and elected officials at our events. Beyond that, our students genuinely care about each other. Every year they build a community and support system that becomes like family. Those moments are incredibly rewarding.

 

Q: The Teen CEO initiative has helped expose students to careers, leadership, and college opportunities. Why is it so important for young people to see possibilities beyond what they experience every day?

A: If you never see yourself in certain positions, it becomes difficult to visualize yourself there. I believe experiences shape us into the people God wants us to become. When young people are surrounded by scholars, professionals, and successful leaders, they begin to believe they can become those things too. If you place someone around growth, opportunity, and achievement, they begin to see a bigger future for themselves. My goal has always been to challenge a young person’s philosophy about themselves and reshape their psychology. If I can inspire belief, I can inspire growth.

 

Q: You’ve partnered with schools, businesses, nonprofits, and community organizations throughout your career. Why do you believe collaboration is so important when solving community challenges?

A: We can’t operate on an island. Many of our partners are experts in areas where we are not. Why reinvent the wheel when someone else already knows how to build it? I also caution organizations against trying to do everything themselves. Nobody benefits from half-hearted services. Communities are best served when organizations work together and focus on what they do best.

 

Q: What are some of the biggest barriers you believe students and families in Pittsburgh are facing today?

A: Generational poverty is one of the biggest challenges we face. Grandparents are dying penniless. Parents are becoming penniless grandparents. Teenagers are becoming penniless parents. The question becomes: who is breaking the cycle? While Pittsburgh continues to evolve, many of our families are not experiencing that same growth. Whether it’s trade school, college, certification programs, or apprenticeships, people need pathways that require training and create opportunities. Without those pathways, families remain trapped in survival mode instead of building careers, stability, and generational wealth.

 

Q: Success is often measured by numbers, but you’ve said it’s really about confidence and opportunity. What does success personally mean to you?

A: Success is being able to look at your life and recognize your victories. Did I take my kids somewhere I never got to go as a child? Did I take my wife to a restaurant I always wanted to visit? Does my job value me? Are my friends getting the best version of me? Is God pleased with how I’m living? Success isn’t one destination. It’s a river constantly flowing forward.

 

Q: If you could give one piece of advice to a young person who feels like their circumstances are holding them back, what would you tell them?

A: Circumstances don’t get easier. We simply get older. The world keeps moving. Time waits for no one. Your circumstances are your challenge. The question is whether you’re going to let them defeat you or whether you’re going to rise above them and become great despite the odds.

 

Q: Looking ahead, what is your long-term vision for the work you’re doing, and what legacy do you hope to leave in Pittsburgh?

A: It’s hard to think about legacy when you’re still in the fight. Racism and classism have a way of punching you in the face every day. But my work has always been built on one simple belief: nothing is impossible. If there’s a will, there’s a way. That mindset continues to drive everything I do.

 

Q: Finally, when people hear the name Terrel Williams 20 years from now, what do you hope they remember most about the impact you made?

A: Twenty years from now, I’d be completely fine hearing someone say: “If Terrel could do it, I can do it.” Whether they’re facing a challenge, hardship, or uncomfortable season in life, I want people to know that perseverance is possible. More than anything, I hope people remember that I loved my community, cared about my people, and made a difference in places where others weren’t paying attention. I saw people. I helped people. And I invested in people that many others overlooked.