WSU alumna and artist SaeMonae (Simone Williams) encourages students at her alma mater who are pursuing a recording artist career and going to school at the same time to “keep working toward perfecting your craft.”

While attending WSU, Williams was pursuing her undergraduate degree in comparative ethnic studies and a minor in popular culture. She was proactive on campus and a lead activist, saying “the black and LGBT community influenced me heavily.” She graduated in spring of 2017.

Although Pullman could be dubbed a dull town compared to Williams’ hometown of Seattle, she found motivation for her song writing by consistently going to student events on campus, sit-ins and open mic events. WSU does offer live music classes to students but is lacking in some areas for aspiring recording artists, she said.

“What I wanted to learn wasn’t being offered,” she said, “and I feel like there was no platform to do so.”

For Williams, music is more than instruments and rhythmic sounds: It serves as a therapeutic medicine.

“I was contemplating dropping out every single day because it was so hard for me to balance school and my passion,” Williams said. “But after my sophomore year, I knew that this was what I wanted to do.”

An avid writer since the third grade, Williams said she does not believe she necessarily fits in to the hip-hop scene.

“There’s not a big push for women in this industry,” she said, “especially queer women.”

In a male-dominated sport like hip-hop, Williams feels her lyricism will take her to the top.

“Ultimately, my goal is to stick to the basics of what hip-hop embodies, but also fill the void for what is missing,” she said. “That’s how I will make my impact.”

As she moved forward in her musical journey, she said, she found light in her situation and never got discouraged by the obstacles she faced.

Williams is now going back and forth from Los Angeles to Seattle as SaeMonae, networking with other artists and perfecting her sound. She is also completing her latest project, “Dirty PolitiKKKs,” which she will soon be releasing on SoundCloud, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

“I’m glad I hung in there and got my degree,” Williams said. “It was all worth it.”