To the Editor:

My name is Anna Williams. I am a 2018 alumna of Guilderland High School and a 2023 alumna of Siena College. I am also the daughter of the former president of the Guilderland Lettermen Foundation, Mark A. Williams.

I am donating $500 to the Corey B. Shields Scholarship. I have had a very close relationship with his mother, Karen (Shields) Bartling, since I was 5 years old when she began to tutor me, at Lynnwood Elementary School. Due to my close relationship with his mom; I became the first child to be impacted by Corey’s kindness, empathy, and resilient willingness to go out of his way to help others without being asked.

At 5 years old, I was diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and severe anxiety. Ms. Shields began to tutor me when I began to struggle with my reading and writing. As you can imagine, on top of struggling academically — I also began to realize I was “different” from other kids, which in turn caused me to struggle socially and mentally. I was diagnosed with depression at an early age.

Once Corey realized how much I was struggling, he decided to become my penpal. For more than two  years, Corey never failed to answer my letters, even while deployed in the middle of an active war zone with the United States Air Force.

This exemplifies who Corey was. Even though he was struggling himself, when he saw a little girl who needed help, someone to believe in her, to see her before her diagnosis, Corey did this without being asked. 

The little girl that Corey believed in is now 25 years old. I have had many people, peers, teachers, professors, etc. place doubt in me because they saw my mental illness before they saw me. Whenever I began to doubt myself, I thought of Corey’s resilience and strength.

Since writing my last letter to Corey so many years ago, I:

— Performed scholarly cancer research and was the first intern in the FMI Inc.’s history;

— Managed 1,000 clinical trials with more than 20 pharmaceutical companies internationally;

— Graduated from Siena College with a bachelor’s of science degree in business with concentrations in international business and applied leadership;

— Earned a certification from Harvard University in Health Care Innovation; and

— Currently work for New York state, helping improve the health-care system.

I was the first kid that Corey helped get an education. I am very happy I will not be the last and glad I can contribute to his legacy. Scholarship donations may be sent to Guilderland High School, Post Office Box 18, Guilderland Center, NY 12085.

Anna C. Williams 

Guilderland 

Editor’s note: Corey Shields, a United States Air Force veteran who worked for the City of Schenectady Police Department, died on Oct. 23, 2021 at the age of 37. At the time of his death, the police chief described him as a decorated officer and wrote, “One of the most notable was a Department citation for Bravery that he earned for running into a burning building on State Street, clearing out residents and saving a man with a heart condition who was trapped by the fire.”