Posted on July 1, 2026 by Anastasia Cisneros-Lunsford
There was a time when Christopher J. Williams wasn't sure college was part of his future. After struggling academically and dropping out, he eventually found his way back to UT San Antonio, graduating with Dean's List honors and launching a career in cybersecurity. Today, guided by his father's lesson to "bless others with your gifts," Williams is raising funds to establish a scholarship to help students facing obstacles.
Part of the first graduating class of the College of AI, Cyber and Computing, Williams earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in cybersecurity this past December. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he found himself barely passing a single course and decided to drop out of school. He drifted for a year and a half, trying to figure out how to build a life that would make an impact.
"When I wasn't serious about the life I wanted early on, (my father) reminded me to get it together and not throw my life away," Williams said, adding that his father, who also shares his name, guided him through the obstacles and showed him how to persevere.
"He provided me with the methodology to navigate challenges. I just had to learn to execute and get past them," he said.
The native San Antonian decided to return to UT San Antonio for his bachelor's degree and set his sights on a master's as well. In the span of two years, Williams achieved recognition on the Dean's List, graduated and secured a position as a Cybersecurity DevOps Engineer at UT San Antonio in Cyber Security Operations at University Tech Solutions. With his father — and his own perseverance to be a catalyst for change and make an impact — as his true inspiration, the next step is to establish the scholarship.
"Sometimes it's not about the start but how you choose to finish," he said.
After attending Northwest Vista Community College, Williams said he directed his attention to UT San Antonio because he was seeking an institution with high-quality experiences, a great community and academic excellence.
"Once I figured out (my life), I decided to go back and finish strong as a Roadrunner," he said.
While at UT San Antonio, Williams immersed himself in different activities on and off campus. He was a drum set player with the Texas Spirit of San Antonio Marching Band, attended events hosted by the Association for Computing Machinery, CompTIA (Computing Technology Industry Association), and the Console Cowboys. He worked with UT San Antonio part-time for 3 years in Campus Operations, EIA, Enterprise Data Communications, and Cyber Operations.
The Government Endowed Scholarship recipient also made time to serve his community as a musician for the Love Fellowship Christian Center, a religious, educational center, and serves as co-host, along with his father, of the Pastor C and Me podcast.
"One thing (my father) has always mentioned is to bless others with your gifts, share it to the world so that the world can benefit," he said. "This is the true inspiration behind starting the Scholarship, and why I chose to help my community get into the field of their choice."
The C.J. Williams Scholarship honors his father and his namesake. "He played a huge role in my success in college, so I wanted to ensure that this scholarship has the name we both share," Williams said.
Next for Williams is a Master of Business Administration. But first, he intends to raise the seed money he needs to establish the scholarship.
"This is part of history-making," Williams said. "This is something the community needs to see — that investment doesn't have an age; it starts now!"
To support the C.J. Williams Scholarship, contact Director of Development Jeanette Miller at Jeanette.Miller@utsa.edu.
— Anastasia Cisneros-Lunsford
