In the fall of 2020, Alonzo Williams walked onto the University of Missouri campus as a computer science student. But within that first year, something began to shift. A lifelong love of drawing—cultivated since he was 13—kept pulling him in a different direction. As the body of artwork he had created on his own continued to grow, so did the possibility of turning his passion into a profession.

“I started to reconsider my path,” Alonzo shares. “I reached out to a few professors in the School of Visual Studies, including Professor Ballou and Professor Kim. They were incredibly supportive and helped me see that my creative practice could become something more.”

After making the leap into the art program with a concentration in drawing, Alonzo found a sense of community and purpose in the School of Visual Studies (SVS). From engaging studio courses to exhibiting his work at Columbia Art League and Ragtag Cinema, he began honing not only his technical skills but also his ability to express ideas through visual language.

“With a smaller faculty, I was able to connect with my professors on a more personal level,” he recalls. “Our critiques often felt like conversations, not just about technique, but about the why behind the work—what stories we’re trying to tell, and how our lived experiences shape our artistic voices.”

Now, Alonzo is preparing for an exciting next step: pursuing a Master of Fine Arts in Illustration & Visual Culture (MFA-IVC) at Washington University in St. Louis. This two-year, fully residential program combines studio practice with writing and research into visual and material culture, particularly suited for illustrators, comic artists, and visual storytellers.

“I’m really glad I picked this program,” he says. “It’s close to home, and it’s one of the few MFA programs that focuses on commercial illustration and cartooning. I’ve spent years developing my artistic language and technique—now I’m ready to dive deeper into storytelling and creative experimentation.”

That creative freedom comes with its own challenges. “The hardest part will be refining my voice into something more singular,” he admits. “I’m interested in animation, cartooning, illustration, fine arts—there’s so much I want to explore. But I’m looking forward to the process.”

Alonzo’s path to graduate study has also been made more accessible thanks to a generous financial award. He received the Catherine M. and Stanley R. Miller Scholarship, originally covering 75% of his tuition. With the additional support of program chair John Hendrix and faculty, that support was extended to a full tuition scholarship. Alonzo will join the WashU MFA-IVC Class of 2027.

Looking further ahead, he’s keeping an open mind: “Ideally, I’d love to start my own art business. I’m also interested in working in museums or even teaching. Nothing’s set in stone yet. I’ll keep working and stay flexible.”

From switching majors to earning a full scholarship to one of the nation’s most specialized illustration programs, Alonzo’s story is a powerful example of how self-belief, community, and opportunity can converge in transformative ways.