A new West Virginia University graduate understands well the saying from Ralph Waldo Emerson that “life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to understood.”
A series of events helped shape the journey to graduation for Robin Anderson, a program coordinator for the Office of Communications, Marketing and Technology in the WVU Division for Land-Grant Engagement.
On Saturday (Dec. 21), Anderson will receive a Regents Bachelor of Arts, from the WVU Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, a program that is designed to allow working people to juggle professional and personal commitments. Anderson attributes her confidence to this program, which helped her conquer her fears.
“Fear sometimes holds us back from doing things but taking that first step and facing something — just doing it — can help you gain confidence. This program, including the multidisciplinary studies program, helped me immensely with that,” Anderson said.
“This program allowed me to try something new and take courses that helped me become more aware. The writing piece of my degree program — a portfolio of my life experiences — has been something that I didn’t think I could do, but I realized along the way that I enjoyed and was good at writing. I had a story to tell.”
Anderson, a native of Worthington, West Virginia, started working at WVU in 2000 and began taking college classes in 2005, but life always has a way of changing course. She and her husband had a young son and then her husband was diagnosed with a serious illness. But, as Anderson explained, the program was flexible and allowed her to balance academics and personal commitments when life got difficult.
“This program was good for me, and it fit the needs of my family. Life happens and there were some semesters
when I couldn’t take classes. The RBA program allowed me to move at my own pace, and I appreciated that the University offered this option and that they provided tuition assistance — that was such a huge benefit for me and my family,” Anderson said.
Her journey also led to connections. One of her favorite courses, an introduction to public relations, was a turning point for her. The course was taught by Tara Curtis, an adjunct faculty member in the College of Creative Arts and Media who now leads the Division’s Communications, Marketing and Technology team where Anderson works. As one of the few nontraditional students in the class, she was able to share her life experiences with the younger students, which in turn helped with their learning. She also was able to see how her skill set and passion for service were good fits for the fields of communications and marketing for her work with WVU Extension.
“I had lived a little bit of life, so when I was taking these classes, I felt I understood the concepts a little more than students right out of high school. I felt like I could soak up the information, and I was able to apply it to what I was doing at work, especially communications,” Anderson said.
“Learning about social media, understanding audience, seeing how attention spans have changed, I became more aware of things and was able to apply it to my work.”
When Anderson walks across stage Saturday (Dec. 21), she will be greeted by a familiar face. Jorge Atiles, associate vice president of the Division for Land-Grant Engagement and dean of the WVU Davis College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, will present her with her degree. Atiles, who has been a champion for Anderson completing her degree, is equally excited for her.
“Robin is such a great asset to our organization, and she helps strengthen the work we do,” Atiles said. “We are so proud of her commitment to her family, her education and to our organization. I look forward to presenting her with this hard-earned degree and seeing what the next chapter has in store for her.”
Anderson’s parents valued education. Her dad, who was a coal miner, took business classes at night, and her mom went back to school at age 41 to earn her degree. Anderson shares that passion for learning and wants to use her knowledge and experience to support her colleagues and the University, particularly in building relationships and improving customer service, noting that these aspects can really change the atmosphere of a group, the work you do and your relationships with colleagues.
The experience also has her yearning for more. She has started looking at master’s degree programs where she can build on her strong foundation and continue her love of learning.
Graduation day will be a happy one, but also emotional for her, she said.
“I want my grandsons to know that education is important and that whatever you want to accomplish, you can do it with hard work and determination,” she said. “Hearing my name as I walk across the stage, receiving my degree, and celebrating with my family brings out a lot of emotion. It’s been a long journey, but this program fit my life. It allowed me to be a mom, a wife and a ‘mimi’ to my grandsons. I sometimes wished I would have done it sooner, but throughout this journey, I realized it was the perfect time, and I was able to do it on my terms.”
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MEDIA CONTACT: Tara Curtis
Director of Communications, Marketing and Technology
WVU Division for Land-Grant Engagement
304-293-7996; Tara.Curtis@mail.wvu.edu