CHERIE WILLIAMS never set out to be a teacher. In fact, she was certain she wouldn’t be. Growing up, she was inspired by Mary Tyler Moore’s iconic television persona and dreamed endlessly of city lights and newsroom deadlines. But life had other plans.
Williams was raised in an academic family — her father was a college president, and he encouraged her to pursue education as well. However, she initially pursued other options.
Pharmacy seemed to be a practical decision.
Soon after a mishap with her first-year course schedule, she pivoted. Exploring a range of interests, Williams discovered a love for journalism.
After a traumatic experience reporting on a drowning, Williams realized television journalism wasn’t for her. She explored other avenues, but it wasn’t until she reluctantly agreed to teach that she discovered her true calling.
After earning her master’s degree in communication, Williams worked in public relations and admissions at a seminary just outside of San Francisco. Life in California was exhilarating, but after she married her husband, Darrel Williams, the South called her home once again
Settling in Kentucky, Cherie landed a position leading a Job Training Partnership Act program, helping young women earn their GED diplomas.
Then, a friend suggested she teach a single speech course at a local college. It was just supposed to be extra income — something small and temporary. But from the moment she stepped into that classroom, she knew.
“This is what I’m supposed to be doing,” she recalled.
That realization led to more courses, deeper investment, and, eventually, an expansive and fulfilling career in education.
In 1990, when her husband’s work brought them to Winchester, Cherie joined the faculty at Motlow State Community College. More than three decades later, she’s still there, instilling in students the same wisdom and passion she discovered in that first class.
“I love teaching. It is never, ever a burden to me. I never mind going to work. I love my students.”
Her love for communication has taken her from public relations to government work to teaching, proving the versatility of the field she once hesitated to pursue.
She believes her students gain essential life skills through her mass communication and speech classes.
And she’s right. By the end of the semester, many of her students, once nervous and unsure, leave with confidence. Cherie’s favorite part is watching the transformation, seeing students who were once hesitant speakers stand before their peers with confidence.
Cherie also tries to stay ahead of the curve in the ever-changing world of mass communication. She encourages her students to engage with current events and understand the world outside of social media.
“I refer them to USA Today because it’s a pretty good paper, and it’s a national paper instead of a local one,” she shared.
Cherie believes teaching isn’t merely a job; it’s her life’s work. Over the years, her love for students has only grown stronger.
She may have started as a pharmacy hopeful and aspiring TV reporter, but Cherie’s heart found its home in education. And for her students, that’s the best thing that could have ever happened.
She looks back on her career and often laughs at the irony of it all.
“I always tell people, ‘Don’t say you’ll never dosomething because you probably will.’”
Cherie said she knew her father was looking down from heaven, smiling, knowing she had found her purpose in the very place she never expected: the classroom. GN
