As a child growing up under the shadow of triplet brothers, Jason Williams felt compelled to forge an identity that would allow him to chart his own path. He soon found the answer: entrepreneurship.

While in middle school, Williams attended a local entrepreneurship program that teaches kids how to create a business plan. He put those skills to the test quickly in establishing Kew Promotions, a business focused on organizing parties, basketball competitions and other events that give inner city kids an alternative to the streets. Working in partnership with his three brothers and friends, Williams secured seed funding and created a successful venture.

Williams has been part of the Fox School of Business for six years, since becoming an intern during his junior year at Mastery Charter High School through Fox’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute (IEI). Having earned a reputation as having a hardworking attitude with a tremendous desire to learn more about business, Williams was invited back the next summer to Fox’s Leadership Academy, a program designed for honor high school students. From then on, he was hooked on the Fox School.

As a freshman at Fox, Williams attended Temple’s Student Leadershape Institute, which teaches Temple students effective leadership skills. In addition, Williams served as college council treasurer for three semesters, and handled and planned all fundraising efforts for college council and various student professional organizations. He worked for Fox’s Undergraduate Programs and Enrollment Management office as a student worker and studied abroad through Temple’s Rome program in 2008. Williams also was the student representative at Alter Hall’s groundbreaking ceremony in November 2006.

As a marketing major and a management information systems (MIS) minor, Williams has been incorporating his skills from the classroom into his student internship through his work on the TU Capture system.

Like many graduating seniors, Williams is ready and willing to put his skills to the test. He hopes to secure a full-time position that combines marketing and IT, such as working to market customer relationship databases.

And just maybe, Williams will end up working at his alma mater. “I think there is a certain type of atmosphere of family at Fox. In spite of the fact that it is a competitive business school, everyone tries to help each other in ways you don’t normally see at a business school,” he said.

— Elizabeth Connolly