“Sometimes a stranger can support you more than someone you know,” said Tamia Williams about the power of social media.
As Florida A&M University’s outgoing Queen of Orange and Green, the Spring 2026 journalism grad understands the gravity of her influence.
She says it was important to her to use her platform to be “relatable” to others, with the goal of ensuring that people could always learn something from her, feel connected, or see themselves in her through her outreach — both online and as campus royalty.
“I always want to make people smile and bring joy,” said Williams, a Tampa native, whose role as queen was to serve as a visible role model for her peers while embodying the university’s values and traditions.
She was in high school when she began to understand the power of connecting with people through communication. Her mother would encourage her to apply for scholarships by making 30‑second to one‑minute videos sharing her real‑life experiences.
And it worked.
She began to bring in thousands in scholarships, applying to up to 100 scholarships, and once she arrived on campus she continued the strategy her mother helped her develop — leading her to graduate college debt‑free with funding from the City of Tampa’s Black History Committee, the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc., and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, to name a few.
But she wanted other students to know that there were opportunities out there for them too, and began serving as an ambassador for different organizations and companies, sharing scholarship and professional development opportunities up until her reign ended.
These opportunities included serving as an ambassador or posting content in collaboration with the United Negro College Fund, Thurgood Marshall College Fund, and McDonald’s.
“More students need to know that scholarships are out there and they don’t just stop after your freshman year,” Williams said, noting that what kept her encouraged to keep doing outreach on her platforms was knowing she was making an impact on others. “If you think that you’ve applied to too many, you haven’t. There’s still more to apply to.”
As a result of her advocacy, she would get messages from high school and college students alike sharing how her content and presentations impacted them.
“That’s when I knew that what I am doing actually does matter,” Williams said.
She also realized students need support with everyday expenses — like quality products to ensure healthy living environments, healthy bodies, and healthy natural hair care. She partnered with brands such as Impressions of Beauty, Procter & Gamble, and Creme of Nature, spreading the word on social media and campus and giving out free products.
“With brand activations you get to interact with your peers and you’re giving out products that are useful,” Williams said, who also partnered with community organizations like Her Next Move Collective to encourage students to build healthier habits, such as exercising, exploring the health benefits of nature, and participating in wellness walks. “I’ve had the honor to work with so many different brands and it’s been beautiful to see how I can still be myself and also promote and highlight the wellbeing of others.”
Sharing information and access to resources with people is at the heart of why she is pursuing a career as a multimedia journalist. She said the faculty and hands‑on learning opportunities at FAMU’s School of Journalism & Graphic Communication helped her hone her communication skills and sparked her passion for storytelling that will positively impact communities.
“It’s a great way to connect with people… getting out and talking to people,” she said, noting that her involvement as an anchor and reporter at FAMU‑TV 20 and taking TV news courses, along with writing and creating content for student publications, like The FAMUAN and Journey Magazine, further fueled her desire to use her voice and her platform to make people’s lives better.
“I’m not just doing this for myself anymore, but I’m doing this for the people,” she said.
