RBC Alumnus Inspires With Academic Journey

Richard Bland College alumnus Terelle Lamar Robinson ’15, who graduated in May from William & Mary in May with an award citation for his accomplishments on campus, overcame many obstacles in his early life to fulfill his dream of graduating from both RBC and W&M.

“With my mother unavailable to raise me because of a persistent drug abuse problem and my father not being a part of my life, I was raised by my grandmother, Sarah Winston, since the age of two,” Robinson says.

Robinson’s award citation read, “Terelle has been able to forge and nurture relationships with all sorts of people, from his friends and peers to professors, school administrators and members of the community. He cultivates those relationships by being forthright and honest, willing to share his own perspectives and being interested in other people’s experiences.”

As an orientation aide and mentor to other African American males with the African American Male Coalition, Robinson made it his mission to inspire others to succeed at W&M. He was also highly engaged in the community, from his participation in the Ebony Expressions Gospel Choir to his work as a fellow in the Washington Center’s Leadership and Community Engagement Institute.

Robinson, who starred in track and field at RBC, is currently taking steps to pursue a degree in law. As one faculty nominator said, he is “always on the move, smiling, ready with a hug, surrounded by friends and just happy to be at his dream college.”

“Somehow I have turned everything negative that has happened to me into positive motivation to reach the pinnacle of my success,” said Robinson.