Part of being human is to make mistakes and missteps. 

With faculty, staff and alumni sharing their personal stories, Emory University is introducing “Reframes: Discovering the Possible,” a student-facing project seeking to ignite a conversation about embracing the power of reframing unexpected moments in life.

Growing up, Joanne Williams was fascinated with the field of medicine. When she entered college, she set her sights on becoming a doctor.

She carefully curated her path, taking all the necessary courses and co-curricular activities to make it into medical school.

Until she stumbled.

“I kept taking the MCAT, and my scores were too low for admission,” says Williams 18PH, director of student engagement at Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health. “There was a feeling of failure, and there was a feeling of disappointment and even a little bit of an identity crisis that I experienced.”

After several exam retakes and continued disappointment, Williams was forced to pause for a moment and reflect on what truly filled her cup.

She remembered back to her time in college when she enjoyed engaging in student organizations, working in resident life and advising students as a peer mentor. She found joy and purpose in engaging with students, and this realization sparked her to redirect her goals and ambitions.

“After getting more experience in community capacity building and understanding what is required of the field — and also getting more experience advising students — I found my way,” Williams says. 

Williams reframed what she initially thought was a defeat as an opportunity to explore her real passions and find a fulfilling career.

“What I learned from that experience is that when a door closed for me, and when I…