{"id":52227,"date":"2026-08-24T17:07:11","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T17:07:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/alumni\/?p=52227"},"modified":"2026-08-27T15:31:08","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T15:31:08","slug":"building-purpose-and-paying-it-forward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/alumni\/2026\/08\/24\/building-purpose-and-paying-it-forward\/","title":{"rendered":"Building Purpose\u2014and Paying It Forward"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>When Brandon Williams \u201919 talks about Augsburg, he doesn\u2019t start with a building, a class, or even a professor. He starts with a feeling.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just wanted to be involved,\u201d he says. \u201cI fell in love with the community.\u201d That sense of belonging was powerful for Brandon, especially considering the path that brought him there.<\/p>\n

Born in Chicago, Brandon moved to Minnesota with his mother when he was in elementary school. The years that followed were marked by frequent moves and financial instability. At different points in his childhood, his family stayed in shelters\u2014including People Serving People\u2014while his mother worked to rebuild stability.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe moved around a lot,\u201d Brandon recalls. \u201cThere were times when housing fell through, or my mom lost her job. We went to shelters a few times when I was about twelve, then again in my mid-teens.\u201d<\/p>\n

Through it all, Brandon kept his focus forward.<\/p>\n

He attended Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Minneapolis, where students balance rigorous academics with professional internships. The environment helped shape his outlook early. \u201cIt was very future-focused,\u201d he says. \u201cYou were always preparing yourself for what came next.\u201d<\/p>\n

When it came time for college, Brandon considered several options. Ultimately, Augsburg stood out.<\/p>\n

\u201cI chose Augsburg because it was a smaller school,\u201d he says. \u201cWhen you\u2019re in a smaller community, you really get to know people. You get to fall in love with the place.\u201d<\/p>\n

And he did exactly that.<\/p>\n

At Augsburg, Brandon immersed himself in campus life\u2014serving in student government, building relationships across campus, and helping create initiatives designed to improve the student experience. One effort he remembers with pride was helping negotiate a Metro Transit partnership so students could access bus passes through their tuition.<\/p>\n

But what mattered most wasn\u2019t the individual accomplishments. It was the culture of care he experienced.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe staff and the community at Augsburg created an environment where I felt cared for and thought about,\u201d Brandon says. \u201cI didn\u2019t feel like just another number.\u201d<\/p>\n

That sense of belonging shaped his view of leadership\u2014and stewardship.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, being part of Augsburg meant thinking about the people coming after you,\u201d he explains. \u201cOnce you find your place and grow there, your focus should turn to the next group of students. How do you help them have an even better experience?\u201d<\/p>\n

Today, Brandon continues to carry that mindset forward.<\/p>\n

He is enrolled in law school in a blended evening and weekend program while working full-time as a legal assistant at Winthrop & Weinstine.<\/p>\n

In law school, Brandon has discovered that his strengths lie in advocacy and persuasion. \u201cI enjoy arguments and negotiations,\u201d he says. \u201cTaking the facts and the rules and making a case for why something should go a certain way.\u201d<\/p>\n

But beyond any specific legal specialty, Brandon is clear about what he hopes his career will be built on.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore than anything, I want to find purpose,\u201d he says. \u201cEven if something isn\u2019t perfect, I\u2019m always asking: how do I find meaning in this? How am I impacting people\u2019s lives in a real way?\u201d<\/p>\n

That search for purpose is the thread connecting his journey\u2014from childhood adversity to leadership at Augsburg to his future in the law.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s also why he remains closely connected to the Augsburg community.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe people I met there are people I still trust,\u201d he says. \u201cThey care about others, they care about community, and they\u2019re always willing to come back and help.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Brandon, that is the real legacy of Augsburg: a community that shapes students\u2014and inspires them to shape the future for others.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not about being the biggest or the best,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s about the people. When you build those connections, they stay with you.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When Brandon Williams \u201919 talks about Augsburg, he doesn\u2019t start with a building, a class, or even a professor. He …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":470,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[918,14,12],"tags":[712,924,925],"class_list":["post-52227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-alumni","category-spotlights","category-giving-back","tag-alumni-spotlight","tag-class-of-2019","tag-promising-futures"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52227","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/470"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52227"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52227\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52233,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52227\/revisions\/52233"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52227"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52227"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}