Oral history conducted for the Living the Legacy: 50th Anniversary of African Americans in Residence commemoration. Michael K. Powell arrived at William & Mary in 1981 on an ROTC Scholarship. During his time at William & Mary, he served as President of Theta Delta Chi, was a member of the Men’s Gymnastics Team, and became the first black commander of the ROTC. Powell graduated in 1985 with a Bachelor of Arts in Government and was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Army. He has since held positions as chair of the Federal Communications Commission and currently serves as president and CEO of the National Cable and Telecommunications Association. He also served on the Board of Visitors at William & Mary from 2001 to 2009, serving three years as the school’s first African American Rector. In his interview, Powell discusses what he states was a “fantastic” experience at William & Mary, marked by his involvement in many student organizations and key figures such as Sam Sadler and Tom Graves. However, his life, both at William & Mary and beyond, has not been without difficultly, and he speaks about the moments throughout his life in which his plans were uprooted, sometimes drastically. He views a liberal arts education as providing the skills necessary to adapt and adjust in those situations. The interview ends with poignant ruminations on the value of diversity and inclusion.