Eddison Williams went from a 0.8 GPA to ETSU’s highest grade ever on the national chemistry final – a metamorphosis he attributes to a foundation in Tae Kwon Do and the willingness to ask for help.
“I think my strength is not my intelligence,” said Williams, a 27-year-old ETSU student. “My strength is my drive.”
This driven attitude, he says, started with lessons from Song’s Tae Kwon Do in Clarksville, Tenn.
As a teenager, Williams was engrossed in the body movement, quickness and concentration of Tae Kwon Do, which would later lead him to his decision to become a doctor. Soon after, Williams was competing in martial arts tournaments even before acquiring a black belt at age 15.
No matter his level of determination, before competitions, Williams depends on a touchstone, the $3 necklace his mom bought him when he was 12. “It’s a good luck charm,” he says. “I won’t go unless I have it with me.”
Williams, who calls himself a military brat, was born in Fort Benning, Ga., and lived in Germany from ages 2-9. Upon high school graduation, Williams chose to attend Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania, but after his first semester, Williams had a 0.8 grade point average and was placed on academic probation.
During this time, Williams was putting much of his focus into Tae Kwon Do. “When I wasn’t doing well in school, I was competing a lot in martial arts,” said Williams, who also holds a black belt in kickboxing. “I won a national championship in Tae Kwon Do and tried out for the national team in Las Vegas.”
Williams competes in full contact point fighting. “You hit your opponents in one of the legal areas and they [officials] stop the fight and award a point,” he says. “Then you go back to center and start again.”
This aggressive technique of fighting has earned Williams both rewards and injury. In 2002, he won the C.S. Kim All Martial Arts National Championship Grand Championship and was placed on the cover of Black Belt magazine, he said. On the other hand, Williams has pulled his back and groin, as well as lost a toenail.
Later, Williams decided to transfer to Austin Peay University, which originally did not accept him. “I started doing better and I figured I wanted to go into physical therapy,” he said.
Although the decision sounded simple, Williams says he was not encouraged to choose physical therapy because his GPA was 2.032.
The next semester, Williams made As and Bs for the first time in his life, he said. He transferred to ETSU because of its physical therapy program and his grades have remained above average, he said.
Williams’ experiences in Tae Kwon Do, which he said are all about being humble and admitting wrongdoing, have directed him in his academic turnaround. “Those three words: ‘I need help,’ ” he said. “I will say those very quickly on a lot of things, and a lot of others won’t say that.”
His willingness to ask for help led Williams to tutoring. Glenn Quarels, a graduate student working on a master’s in public health, tutored Williams in pre-calculus. As his grades improved, Williams began tutoring, as well, with ETSU’s Student Support Services and University Group Tutoring. “I’ve been in that position before, so I feel like I can communicate better with students because I have been tutored,” he said.
Quarles is proud of Williams’ academic improvement. “Eddison aspires to do the best that he possibly can on whatever he is doing whether it be Tae Kwon Do, organic chemistry and now medical school,” Quarles said.
Williams tutored biology major Victoria Marrs in organic chemistry. “I would tell him something I didn’t understand and he put things on my level,” she said.
Williams used his interest in learning about human body through Tae Kwon Do to discover that he wants to become a doctor, he says. “Being a good martial artist parallels with being a good doctor,” Williams says. “I have learned discipline, perseverance and how to deal with victory and defeat.”
His goal of getting into medical school became attainable after scoring the highest grade at ETSU on the American Chemical Society organic chemistry final. “He is one of the best students I have ever had,” said Assistant Professor Dr. David Young.
As a result of his score, 67-70, Williams won the Boris Franzus Award in 2006, which is given to “student(s) with excellence in undergraduate organic chemistry,” according to the ETSU Department of Chemistry Web site.
Williams was accepted to the Quillen College of Medicine and is considering specializing in orthopedic surgery.
Before classes begin in August, Williams wants to go to Cedar Point and train heavily so that he can enter at least one Tae Kwon Do tournament. “I lost some motivation when applying for medical school because my academics became my priority,” he says. “Now I have more time for Tae Kwon Do.”
Although the path to graduation has been a bit longer for Williams, to him it’s bittersweet. “I went from being suspended to making the highest grade in history at ETSU,” Williams said. “I molded myself to do it even though my whole life everyone told me I couldn’t.

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