Continuing to soar: Varina HS graduate excels at W&M

Almost three years ago, Alton Coston III gave a commencement speech at Varina High School’s graduation ceremony, and the video went viral.

Coston talked openly about his struggle with depression stemming from the stress of not being able to afford college. Weeks after praying with his family, the College of William & Mary sent Coston not only an acceptance letter but also a full-tuition scholarship.

Coston accepted the offer, enrolled at William & Mary and has continued to make a name for himself.

This month, he was awarded the prestigious Truman Scholarship by the Harry S. Truman Foundation. The award, which was last given in 2008, provides funding for graduate studies, leadership training, career counseling and internship and fellowship opportunities within the federal government.

“No matter how far I go, no matter how many titles, accolades, etc., that will be added to my name, one thing remains the same — I will always be a son of Varina,” Coston said. “My heart lies there.”

Coston, who is now a public policy and Africana studies major at William & Mary, is interested in education policy because of experience at Varina High. Coston was an honors student, captain of the football team and highly involved with the community in high school – but when he began studying at William & Mary, realized that he was unprepared for the rigor of work. (He addressed that topic and others in a Tedx Talk at William & Mary in 2021.)

Coston is now involved with a nonprofit (The Village Initiative), through which he has helped conduct research on disproportionate uses of discipline in the Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools division. He’s also teaching students about local Black history in the Williamsburg area.

“The only way that I fundamentally believe you can alter and shape policy is seeing what's happening in the grassroots community, so I wanted to know what was happening in the grassroots community,” Coston said. “I've been in the classrooms weekly seeing what's been happening on the ground, which has allowed me to better think through audits or in shape policy from a research perspective.”

At William & Mary, Coston serves as the president of the African American Male Coalition, which he described as safe space for multicultural men, faculty, staff and students to come together and showcase vulnerability as a virtue of strength through meaningful conversations about life. When he began his studies, Coston said he noticed a void on campus – no specific organization or space created for the mental, emotional and social development of multicultural men. So, he resurrected the coalition which had previously disbanded.

He also started a barbershop-style meeting series as part of the coalition. The first event attracted five attendees, and now 40 to 50 men come to the events each month.

“The barbershop and the Black and brown community is not merely a place where you go for a haircut,” he said. “It's a place where you're cultivating community. It's a communal bonding space. It's a place for strategizing. It's a place for therapy. It's a place for mental rehabilitation.”

Earlier this year, Coston was awarded William & Mary’s first John Lewis Social Justice Award, which honors a student with the potential to carry forward the legacy of civil rights icon Congressman John Lewis, according to the university.

“I literally went from depressive states due to the fact that I did not have the financial means (for college to now having an abundance of overflowing opportunities happening in my life, all due to faith and family and cultivating community,” he said. “I know that there are millions of other students across the globe, like me, that if given the opportunity for educational advancement, they can soar. I am living proof in testimony.”

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