Growing up in South Bend, Indiana, Aaron Willis ’14 never anticipated that seven students from his graduating class would attend Valparaiso University. Willis says, “After taking the PSAT my sophomore and junior year of high school, I started to see a lot of information about Valpo and looked into their Track program. A classmate’s father told me that, based on my grades, I likely wouldn’t get in.” He continues, “I took that as a challenge right then and there and decided that I would be accepted to Valpo and graduate from the University. And I did.”
During his time at Valpo, Aaron enjoyed being involved on campus as much as possible. He was in Sigma Chi Fraternity, where he served as the new member educator and vice president, worked as an overnight visit day coordinator, participated in College Mentors for Kids at Hilltop Neighborhood House, worked within the Office of Multicultural Programs in the Black Student Organization, served on the diversity concerns committee, Dance Marathon morale team, senior planning committee, and even served as resident assistant for a semester. Willis also earned the Student Service Leadership award and was awarded the Sigma Chi Chapter Balfour Award in his senior year while also a Greek Man of the Year finalist for two years in a row.
Being involved and socializing on campus was very important for Aaron’s Valpo experience, but he wishes he spent more time being true to himself. He says, “I was a very social person. I liked to have fun. But unfortunately, I lost part of my identity as an African-American and wasn’t true to who I really am.” He continues, “I am a gay man. I have a great education. But I wish I would have been a bit truer to who I am and stood out, knowing that at the end of the day, it’s okay if people aren’t fond of me. I try to bring more of myself to my career now.”
Willis, who majored in biology and secondary education, is now an assistant principal at Avon High School, one of the top schools in the nation. He says he is among the youngest assistant principals at a 6A school and one of the few who are black, and he enjoys bringing the needed representation to the role. “To be in a school with growing diversity, it’s disheartening when students don’t see anyone who looks like them.” He adds, “Some parents and families don’t feel like they have someone to look out for them. So, I am grateful to be able to bring that here, to support kids and their families and watch them grow.”
Though his time on the Valpo campus may be over, Aaron still keeps in contact with several of his classmates. He has stood up at his roommate’s wedding from his freshman year, remains exceptionally close with his lab partner of four years, and even taught at Goshen High School with a few Valpo classmates and alumni. Willis says, “Four of us went to high school and college together. The principal was a Valpo Dad, and the principal’s wife was a Valpo alum. It was a little coalition of Valpo grads tapped by fellow alum Dr. Barry Younghans to teach in Goshen. It was amazing.”
For Willis, the Valpo experience helped him to realize that there is more to the world than just him. He says, “I can be selfish. We all can. But I think Valpo made me think more outside the box and that there’s more to this world and what you value.” He adds, “Valpo made me realize that I need to consider other people’s experiences and their point of view. I took a lot of that away from my CORE class during my freshman year. I learned that we all come from different walks of life. I learned how to have conversations with people I don’t know and have an open dialogue. It was an eye-opening experience for me.”
Looking toward the future, Aaron has his sights set on a variety of things, big and small. “I am the liaison for a construction project at school right now, so I hope to complete that and increase biology scores in the coming year. Ultimately, I want to become a principal within the next year or two, hopefully in the same district.” Willis continues, “My ultimate goal is to be a superintendent. My super-ultimate goal is to become Secretary of Education. We’ll see what happens.”
Aaron’s advice to other young leaders is simple. Keep going. “Don’t be afraid. It’s okay to stand out. You have to keep going. Not everything will get done in a day, but change will happen.”
