Willis’s first teaching job was at the University of California at Santa Cruz, where she taught Sanskrit and Buddhist studies. Within weeks, she had met almost all of the 130 Black students on campus because they dropped by her office to visit.

Dedicating herself to her work, Willis rarely left campus. She spent weekends working on her dissertation, a translation and analysis of a fourth-century Buddhist philosophical treatise. She also worked diligently with students who had been vastly underprepared by their public schools and were not prepared for college-level work. Willis spent many of her “free” hours helping students with their writing, even if they were not taking her courses. Two of these students invited her to their dojo, where their sensei had conveyed ideas similar to those Willis had expressed. She was happy to accompany them and even joined the dojo herself.

Although the atmosphere at UCSC was incredibly supportive, Willis felt burned out after three and a half years of teaching, counseling, and tutoring. She accepted a one-year visiting appointment at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, and at the end of that year, UCSC contacted her with an offer of tenure. Within one week, Wesleyan matched the offer. Ultimately, Willis decided to choose the offer from Wesleyan.