People of the Pack: Brandis Williams

Brandis Williams is a junior nursing major from Vermillion.

Morgan Matzen: What is it like living in Vermillion and then still coming here for school?

Brandis Williams: It’s completely different. That’s what I tell everyone. Campus life is so different than Vermillion. We’re from Vermillion, but we rarely go on campus when you’re from here. School is all the way on the corner, then all the groceries are on the other side of town and you just kind of drive past it.

MM: What are your career goals?

BW: I want to end up being a delivery nurse, anywhere honestly. That’s the end game. I want to travel a lot. Before I become an OP, like a delivery nurse, I want to be a traveling nurse for a bit and kind of see our country before I go out and see the rest of the world. If I could live anywhere, I’d like to end up in the South. Somewhere I really want to travel to is Italy.

MM: What are you most passionate about in life?

BW: Fitness. Being healthy and healthy living. I go to the gym frequently and I try not to eat out as much and try not to drink as much as a normal college student would.

MM: Do you play any sports?

BW: I did sports all through high school but decided not to in college. I played volleyball, and I did long jump in track. I liked how (sports) kind of had a little family aside from family, because those are the people you spend the most amount of time with.

MM: What are some fun facts about you?

BW: I have 19 siblings.

MM: Tell me about your family.

BW: There’s my mom and my real dad, and they got divorced when I was little. Then he moved to Oregon and got remarried, and she moved to Vermillion and got remarried. They had kids and I have a lot of step-siblings. Everyone is just all over. My brother was in the Army, my sister lives up in Sioux Falls. I’m best friends with her. I have two adopted sisters. They were adopted from my cousin, and that happened because my cousin wasn’t suited to take care of them. We adopted them when they were babies. Now they are 11 and nine. My family fell in love with them. When we got them, I was not happy about it. I was little, so it meant like no more Christmas presents for me as much.

MM: Are you close with all of your 19 siblings, then?

BW: Not so much. I’m best friends with my sister who lives in Sioux Falls. I have a little brother who lives in Sioux City with my mom. My brother has Wegener’s disease and my mom has MS, so we’ve kind of been through a lot in the last couple years. You really learn how to deal with stressful situations and how to cope.