Alexandra Williams, a Lake Charles native, has devoted much of her life to serving young people in her local church. She credited her parents as one of her greatest influences for volunteerism.

“Watching my parents— they’ve always had a very active volunteer life at church. They ingrained in me to serve in any capacity that I can.”

Student ministry, high school and college, has always been a big part of her volunteer work. In addition to attending youth group as a teen, she made time to help serve others.

“My dad started a college group when I was a junior or senior and I started helping him because a lot of the people came from my school.”

Even when she moved away to college in Baton Rouge, Williams prioritized serving in a Christian community where she played the piano and led a small group.

“It was important to me to stay connected in a deep community of believers. College is really a place where your faith is tested as your own or if it was just your parents.”

When she moved back to Lake Charles her commitment to Christian service continued alongside her dad with local college students. The experience in Baton Rouge was valuable, but Williams said there was something special about returning home to serve many of the people she grew up with.

“It was more like family. I had more invested and more at stake because of the deeper relationships. I think it helped our group grow, too, because visitors come in, see how close we are and want to join that.”

Now as an adult, Williams still finds time to continue working with college students and the high school she teaches every day as a private school teacher. She has an especially unique bond with her  students, she said.

While teaching is part of her job, remaining available during lunch and after hours to lend a compassionate ear to her students is a service she gladly offers to each of her students. “I’m younger and that makes me more approachable to them. It’s because we have shared experiences that weren’t so far away from me.”

Whether it’s teen years or young adulthood, Williams said the sacrifice to invest in young people’s faith is well worth the time. “As a teenager, it’s very pivotal years to developing a Biblical worldview, a foundational relationship with Jesus and protecting morals. Then when you get to college, you’re rocked by peer pressure but hopefully you’ve got your foundation and reasons for why you believe. You’re finding your footing as an adult believer and applying your faith to adult scenarios you never experienced before.”