Meet Lillie Williams: Our November Leading Woman

Name: Lillie Williams

Major: History

Hometown: Wichita, Kansas

What are your career/life goals?

Career-wise, all I really know is that I want to be able to use history in some way and want to continue my education after I get my undergraduate degree. I am dreaming about maybe going to law school to pursue constitutional law or working in the museum sector. In life, I’d really like to become a foster parent and potentially adopt.

What are you involved in at Mizzou?

I am the secretary of the Mizzou Undergrad Historical Society and a member of the club tennis team.

What are you most looking forward to do with your position as Archivist?

I’m so excited to be working with the archives! I have already looked through some old Theta scrapbooks, where I love seeing the activities they participated in, clothes they wore, and the commonalities they share with Theta sisters today are so interesting. I also hope to connect with alumnae

and hear more about their stories to share them with the chapter. Honestly, I just can’t wait to let my history nerd out and learn about my sisters!

Tell us about what you will be doing at your internship at the Missouri State Historical Society.

I get to work on a wide range of things in my internship, which revolves around National History Day. I could be working on designing exhibits, creating social media content, coordinating competition and event details, assisting in program development, and participating in outreach events.

What are you looking forward to in this internship?

I am really looking forward to getting to see the history projects of students in the National History Day competition. I’m also excited to encourage people on campus to go to the State Historical Society building because it’s a hidden gem with amazing research resources and an impressive art gallery.

Tell us about why you chose your major?

History has always been my favorite subject. I love learning about what life was like for people in the past. I find that the more I learn about the past, the more I can understand the world around me today. I enjoy the intellectual challenge that comes with evaluating lots of information to discover trends throughout history.

What are you passionate about?

I am very passionate about citizenship. To me, citizenship is being an active member of your community, while striving to better it. I feel this is pertinent in everyday life, whether it’s politically, through service, or just being kind to one another.

What does Theta mean to you?

Theta is my absolute favorite thing about college. Theta is my motivation and my support in achieving my goals. Theta means the sincerest friends, the best memories, and the place where my passions and pursuits are encouraged to flourish. It is also a unique connection that I am blessed to share with my mother and several friends in different universities across the country.

Do you have a specific favorite Theta memory?

This is such a hard question to answer! Going to Shryocks corn maze and getting horribly lost, or winning Camp Theta with the Blue Team are two of my favorite memories.