Haverford School’s Josh Williams is Main Line Student of the Week (Oct. 28 – Nov. 3)

By Bruce Adams

A senior at The Haverford School, Josh Williams is the 2024-25 Student Body President. Along with Head of School Tyler Casertano, Williams helped pick this year’s Virtue of the Year, Humility. He is a member of the School’s Signet Society, a group of senior leaders that organizes school-wide community gatherings, spirit days, and orientation programming for freshmen students. Williams took his talents to the stage last year participating in the fall production of One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest and the spring production, Beauty and the Beast. This year he is a theater captain for the performing arts group. Williams also is a leader of the Peer Counseling club and Black Student Union at Haverford. He is a captain for the Fords football team (offensive lineman) and will continue his football and academic career at Stanford University next year.

Main Line Media News: You helped to pick this year’s Virtue of the Year, Humility. Tell us a little about the selection process and why you picked humility.

Josh Williams: It was a decision that was not ours alone. The vice presidents, Colin Decker and Milan Varma, were also there for the decision process. It started at the end of last year, when we were all elected. We met with Mr. Casertano to start brainstorming what we want this year to be, and what virtue fits that. We were left without an answer, but with the whole summer to think about it. We met as a student council a few times over the summer to throw out our ideas. We narrowed it down to two virtues, initiative and humility. We came to Mr. Casertano with no conclusive choice at the end of the summer. Though, through talking with him, we came to the conclusion that initiative could be skewed in a bad way, and humility fit our class more. Humility highlighted that our class and everyone has flaws, but through finding those flaws, we can all grow.

Main Line Media News: What has been the most important thing you have learned as a leader of the Peer Counseling Club?

Josh Williams: The most important thing I’ve learned as a Peer Counseling leader is to not bottle up the emotions inside me. Men tend to hide their true feelings behind a mask because of how we might be perceived. This societal pressure on our emotional state can cause us to crash. Through talking and listening to classmates about what’s on my mind, I’ve gained more clarity in my life and how I feel.

Main Line Media News: What are your goals this year as Student Body President?

Josh Williams: Broadly, the main overall goal this year is student cohesion. It’s well known throughout the school that Haverford is at its best when the sense of brotherhood is at a high. The best moments I see at Haverford are when massive amounts of students support each other. Things like sports games, concerts, and musicals are events that show how strong our brotherhood is and can be.

Main Line Media News: What (in your opinion) has been the most rewarding activity organized by the school’s Signet Society, of which you are a member?

Josh Williams: For sure, it’s Camp Saginaw. Camp Saginaw is a trip that Signet goes on with the freshmen. It’s two days of fun and team building activities where Signet members lead small groups. This was the most rewarding for me because it felt like a passing of the torch to the new generation of Haverford. During the night time of the first day, I gave a talk during the bonfire. I talked about my mindset, and how I have self-confidence issues sometimes. It felt so nice to be able to share my story to the youngest people in the Upper School so that they know, understand, and resonate with me. These boys will be school leaders in the future, so I’m glad I could be helpful and impactful in their journey.

Main Line Media News: Tell us a little about your role as theater captain for the performing arts group.

Josh Williams: My role as theater captain is to guide younger actors on their Haverford theater journey. We play big parts in the shows and give talks to the cast, all to help the cast be better. We lead the way for new actors to do better than us.

Main Line Media News: What has been your favorite onstage role, and why?

Josh Williams: I’ve only been in two productions so far, so I don’t have too many performances under my belt. For the musical last year, I was a named character, but in the play last year, I was a lead role. Naturally, the lead role as Chief Bromden in One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest was my favorite role. It was exhilarating to show my talents in a way that people would never see. It breaks me out of the mold of being just “a football kid.”

Main Line Media News: What has been your favorite Haverford School onstage production and why?

Josh Williams: My favorite production was last year’s Beauty and the Beast musical. This show was my favorite because of the amazingly large and diverse cast we had. We had kids in all different schools, all different backgrounds, and all different activities and hobbies. You would think this would make the cast cliquey, but it was quite the opposite. It was cohesive, like a well-functioning machine. Through the musical, I made friendships and bonds with people who are some of my closest friends now.

Main Line Media News: What is your favorite book, and why?

Josh Williams: When I was younger, my favorite book series was Harry Potter, with J.K. Rowling being my favorite author. This was because I loved the idea of magic schools. There was so much to love when it came to Harry Potter that went beyond the books. Some of my most near and dear memories are the ones I made at the Harry Potter attraction at Universal. I also loved putting people I knew into houses. It was so fun thinking about people and what house The Sorting Hat would put them in. (I would be Gryffindor). I loved the books because of how relatable they were even though they were about magic users. As a preteen, I understood another kid, Harry, going through hardships. I understood Ron being a goofball and headstrong.

(To be selected as Main Line Student of the Week, a student must first be nominated by his or her school.)

Read more at Mainline Media News >