Here is the letter I wrote in support of Mr. King...so wonderful to have friends present and to see family, both on King's side and with Jessica. I've watched this awards night go through many iterations and, for me, it's a pleasure to see good people recognized by an even better name.
Re: Mr. William King, Fairfield University 2026 MLK, Jr. Vision Award for Community Leadership
Dear Selection Committee,
It is a great honor to work with Dr. John Drazan, School of Engineering to co-nominate Mr. William King for the 2025 MLK, Jr. Vision Award for Community Leadership. Mr. King is a 2015 graduate of the Teaching English to Students of Other Languages program housed in the School of Education. He is not a stranger to receiving accolades for his work with our campus and most recently was part of a teaching team that received the 2025 Divergent Award for Literacy Innovation from the Initiative for Literacy in a Digital Age. In 2023, his community leadership also received a 2023 Bridgeport Public Education Fund Inspiration Award for Outstanding Teaching. Additionally, he has been highly recognized through the Center of Social Impact’s initiatives because of his willingness to engage his immigrant- and refugee-background students with our campus.
Martin Luther King said, “It is not possible to be in favor of justice for some people and not in favor of justice for all people” This is why we feel William King deserves the 2026 MLK Vision Award from Fairfield University for his community leadership. William fights for justice with the young people he serves in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and expands their minds by being a champion for higher level thinking, engaged partnerships, and providing opportunities so that his students can take part in the academic world provided on our campus.
Mr. King comes to his teaching as a leader who advocates for creativity, excellence, and support for each, and every, child. In 2012, when he first began his academic studies on campus, he worked on a project called “Operation Bootstrap.” In this first year of graduate studies, he quickly began writing curriculum that encouraged young people to embrace cultural diversity through a sequence of reading, exploration, reflection, and absolute inclusion.
Soon after, Mr. King became an ESL teacher at Bassick High School in Bridgeport, Connecticut. That year, he also became instrumental in the design of Young Adult Literacy Labs with the Connecticut Writing Project (one- and two-week summer camps that support reading and writing on campus). Mr. King became instrumental to the program and brought a philosophy of Ubuntu - I am, because we are - to new levels. As a result, he’s published in several journals and presented at numerous conferences across the nation. He’s been featured on the National Writing Project Website and THE WRITE TIME, a video podcast that brings teachers and authors together to discuss the ways books inspire writing. Most recently, he was featured during an interview with actor, model, and UNHCR activity Ger Duany, as well as the award-winning graphic novelist, Gene Luen Yang. In 2020, he also presented with the one and only Christopher Myers, son of Walter Dean Myers, in a special program for the National Council of Teachers of English, showcasing the importance of belonging and sharing refugee stories. That same year, he co-published the article, “We are all projects…Together we’re strong,” which was featured and honored by the Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, one of the editors’ favorite articles during the years of their service.
Mr. King is masterful and a champion of young people. He’s caring, inspiring, and devoted. He’s also a coach who understands his kids, operates tirelessly, and is driven to catapult young people in support of their dreams. He spends countless nights and weekends traveling to tournaments, providing mentorship, and guiding, most often as a volunteer.
As an alum of Fairfield University, Will's impact is not limited to the work that he does himself as a teacher and coach, but in his role as a community leader to act as force multiplier for outreach programs on our campus. Will has also been instrumental in the creation of Dr. Drazan’s Sport Science Summer Research Program, where, over the past 4 years, he has recruited over 45 high school students to participate in a weeklong summer research program. Importantly, the students he recruits for this summer research program are not necessarily typical of a university-based science research experience. They don't necessarily like STEM to start with; instead, they like sports. By centering engagement based on a pre-existing interest in sports, he is bringing STEM to under- represented populations of youth within the School of Engineering. This highly impactful program would not exist without Will, and his talent to bridge such work with the Connecticut Writing Project.
Young people love "Coach King." His deep commitment to providing opportunities to youth makes it so that his word is gold with Bridgeport Kids. Just last weekend (November 22nd), Mr. King brought his students to the Fairfield Walk-On-Water Event. Earlier this year, he brought his students to a community event with the Women’s Volleyball Team. This past summer, Mr. King recruited over 34 youth from Bridgeport Public Schools to once again participate in Ubuntu Academy. Working with Dr. Drazan, he helped design a collaborative called “Engineering Human Togetherness” where students in the Sport Science Summer Research Program worked with teachers in the CWP Summer Institute, as well as the writers attending the Young Adult Literacy Labs. He also oversaw the writing of the research program so that it could be published in POW! Power of Words, an annual publication out of Fairfield University.
Finally, Mr. King has kept an open-door policy for Fairfield University students to visit his classroom as they are thinking about becoming teachers. He assists with several community-engaged courses, stays in touch with the Center of Social Impact, and works with Bridgeport Public Schools to share his collaborations. His weekly conversations, modeling, and relationships with both undergraduate and graduate students have been inspirational, thought-provoking, and irreplaceable.
The two of us have nothing but positive things to say about Mr. King as an educator, writer, producer, coach, and brilliant human being. He centers so many of us within the work he does, offers action to the words academics love to use, and devotes himself to everyone who meets him. Most importantly, he exhibits the leadership characteristics of Martin Luther King and the mission of social justice at Fairfield University. He deserves to be seen in the light of the civil rights giant.
Please contact us if we can be of additional support.
Sincerely,
