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Just 45 minutes from Charleston, a small town with a population of about 3,379 people is in the middle of Berkeley County.
Huger is the hometown of Dr. Anthony Williams and Dr. Jessica Berry, who were recently named to the Top 40 at South Carolina State University in the inaugural class under 40.
Anthony Williams
The award was created to honor former students who have made progress to advance their careers and impact their communities.
Growing up in Huger, Berry was a fluent native Gullah Geechee speaker. She attended Cainhoy Elementary and Middle School, the same school that Williams would attend only a few years later.
“Huger is extremely rural, people can’t really see much outside that space over there,” said Berry.
Berry graduated from Hanahan High School and Williams graduated from Timberland High School.
“At Timberland High School, I was not the ideal student,” said Williams. “I didn’t have GPA 4.0, I didn’t have all the A’s, I wasn’t in honor classes. But my school counselor at the time, who is also a graduate of SC, Mr. Hilton, for some reason saw a lot in me. He saw a lot more in me than I did. “
Williams attended South Carolina State University, located in Orangeburg, in the fall, after high school graduation. Four years later, he obtained a bachelor’s degree in child development.
Inspired by his own experiences with his school counselor at Timberland High, Williams began his master’s degree in school counseling.
“I had to be a school counselor because I wanted to pay upfront, said Williams. “I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for my school counselor.”
Two and a half years later, in 2017, Williams again graduated from SC State University in business. For the last time in July 2020, Williams completed his doctorate at SC State and has since served as an assistant director at Sumter High School.
Today, Williams uses his personal experience of growing up in Huger as a testament to what students can become despite current circumstances.
“As a member of this community, I understand that there are many difficult situations and that circumstances are not always ideal,” said Williams. “Sometimes, when you’re in it, you can’t see anything. When I was a school counselor, I used to say, ‘Your grades are your escape. Continue to dedicate yourself to school work and you will leave. If you want to be a lawyer, doctor, dentist or director, it is possible. I could have been a director just with my master’s degree, but my doctorate is to show children that you can do that. It’s not that far-fetched. Go get it, ”said Williams.
After graduating from Winthrop University, Berry began his master’s degree at SC State University. It was at this time that his passion for educating the next generation about the cultural prejudices that exist and defending people who do not speak conventional English was sparked.
Jessica Berry
After receiving his doctorate from Louisiana State University, Berry returned to the state to work closer to home.
Today, Berry continues to partner with school districts promoting this defense and even writing a book entitled “Little Gullah Geechee: A Guide to Come Ya (2019)”, in an ambition to educate others about Gullah Geechee culture.
Since 2017, Berry has served as an assistant professor at SC State in the speech pathology department.
Growing up uncertain if she would ever have the opportunity to earn a degree as grand as her own, she now heads the same department in which she was a student.
“My hope is that there will be another girl in my area who will see me receiving this award and serving the community and educating people about who we are like Gullah Geechee and deciding that I am worth it,” said Berry.