Wilverlyn Joye Williams, M.A. Legal Studies Master’s Degree – 2018

Wilverlyn Joye Williams experienced the excellence the University of Illinois Springfield offers both on-campus and online. Ms. Williams first attended UIS as an undergraduate, majoring in legal studies.  Ms. Williams’s undergraduate experience allowed her to organize a student lobby day at the State Capitol, serve as the UIS representative on the Student Advisory Committee for the Illinois Board of Higher Education, and work with the Illinois Innocence Project.  The highlight of her undergraduate education was meeting and being able to work with a future U.S. President.  Through her senior project, Ms. Williams worked on an identity theft bill, which was then sponsored by (then) Illinois State Senator Barack Obama and was subsequently signed into law by the governor.

Ms. Williams later continued her education online through UIS in the Legal Studies Master’s Degree Program. In the 100% online Legal Studies Master’s Degree Program Ms. Williams found the flexibility she needed to take on a challenging curriculum and learn how to use the legal system to be a strong advocate for the most vulnerable in our society.  While delving into her graduate research, Ms. Williams also completed an internship in the office of U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth, which inspired her to seek out her current position with LAF (formerly the Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago).   As an Ombudsman/Paralegal at LAF, Ms. Williams works to ensure the rights of long-term care residents are not violated.  She also volunteers her time with the AMVETS, IBPOEW (Elks), and the Veterans Administration Hospitals in Chicago and North Chicago.