Every morning, Michael Williams greets students at Pembroke West dormitory with a smile, and welcomes the day by saying something akin to”Happy Monday” or “Happy Tuesday.”

A native to Philadelphia, Williams has been working at Bryn Mawr College for over 18 years. Now, at 38, he sits down with the Bi-College News to discuss how he came to Bryn Mawr, and who he is beyond its perimeters.

“I love working here,” Williams says, “I love giving my great energy to the students because I think it’s needed some days, and some days sometimes not, because they give it back to me.”

Williams was born in West Philadelphia and raised by his grandmothers on both sides. He told the Bi-Co that he was grateful to have had the opportunity to have grown up in a large city, saying “it was cool to grow up in Philadelphia, West Philadelphia. And then as I got older, I went to Overbrook High School, where Will Smith graduated from.”

He told the newspaper that every morning at 3:30 a.m., he gets up for work. By 5 a.m., he is on campus and preparing the academic buildings for students.

“We got academic buildings that we take care of, like the gym, the art studio, campus center. Like they are called academic buildings, and we take care of those. And then we report to the dorms about 8:30, 9ish. Give you time to get up and not too noisy. And then we start to give the dorm service.”

After nearly two decades of working at Bryn Mawr, Williams tells the newspaper that the campus feels special to him, and that the students are what makes the school, and job, unique.

“I feel responsible to give that [wisdom] to the youth, to the upcoming students of our generation or professors of our generation, doctors, future police officers, whatever you want to be in life. I just think that if I can give you something, I’ll just give it to you. And it’s free and don’t even cost. So that’s my style.”

Williams says that if he was to give one piece of advice to students in the Bi-Co, it would be to “always be kind, always be helpful, always be cheerful. If I can tell a million students that I would,” he says. “So, every day when I see a student leaving out for class or lunch or going to go meet with other friends, I like to give them the advice. Like if they go into class, I tell them to be dominant and be the best version of yourself at all times because the world needs it.”

It was this kind of inner joy that Williams says motivated him to begin his own clothing company, called Can’t Buy Loyalty. During the interview, Williams was wearing of the custom shirts that his brand makes.

“If you apply, being happy, being cheerful, being helpful, you’ll go a long way in life. That’s, that’s what I would love to tell every student that I encounter with.”