Senior Hannah Williams Wins John F. Miller Award at Wellness and Recreation

By Ben Strunk

Graduating senior Hannah Williams capped off her final year at NC State by winning the John F. Miller Award, awarded each year to the most outstanding student program assistant at NC State Wellness and Recreation.

Williams joined the Wellness and Recreation team as a sophomore flag football official and quickly rose through the officiating ranks to become a head referee and evaluator. She followed her officiating passion to represent NC State at multiple flag football and basketball extramural tournaments, culminating in her recognition as a NIRSA All-American Flag Football Official.

Williams is the first female to earn All-American honors at NC State.

Like all graduates this year, her college journey was filled with unique challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic halted all intramural sports programming for over a year, and Williams was charged with leading recruitment efforts to completely rebuild the officiating staff.

Through her amazing attitude and effort, Williams cultivated a new group of officials who are excited to learn and grow in their sports. She has made a lasting impact on the program and on Wellness and Recreation as a whole.

“What has meant the most to me during my time at WellRec has been the friendships I have formed with my coworkers and the bonds that I have made throughout my three years here. I have met my best friends through my job at WellRec,” said Williams.

Williams will continue her journey in campus recreation after graduation.

“After I graduate, I will be moving to Ithaca, N.Y., to work as the graduate intern at Cornell University in their intramural sports department. WellRec has helped me get there by supporting my ambition throughout the years and helping me establish the connections I needed to be successful. I would not have found my love for intramurals if I was not able to attend extramural tournaments and meet people from other schools working in the same department, and I would not have been able to travel to these if Wellness and Recreation had not supported me every step of the way,” she said.

For current students, Williams has some advice on getting the most out of their time working at Wellness and Recreation.

“You have to step out of your comfort zone and get to know your coworkers and your bosses,” she said. “What makes WellRec — and sports programs, specifically — such an awesome place to work is the culture of community we have. We are always laughing and having fun, and in order to make the most of that, you have to participate. For me, that was always difficult because I used to have a ‘go to work then go home’ mentality, but once I started taking advantage of the opportunities I had to form relationships with the people around me, my time at WellRec became much more valuable to me and I looked forward to going to work.”