From VC to D.C., Philosophy Grad Reaches Lofty Political Heights
Valencia students can face a number of challenges: being the first in the family to make the leap to college; juggling school and work; rejoining civilian life after military service. All of these can be daunting undertakings by themselves, but Valencia grad Ryan Robinson hurdled all three at once.
Now describing himself as an average B and C student in high school, Robinson had no pressing desire to go to college. Instead he joined the military, working in information technology in the Marine Corps. Following his tour of duty in the Marines, Robinson realized he wanted to approach academia more seriously. He chose Valencia for its proximity to home and family. It was a decision that would set him on course for greatness, as he jumped from one impressive resume builder to the next. But the first leap away from Valencia was no small one.
With most of his credits transferring, Robinson enrolled in Columbia University in New York City. While thrilled by the adventure, he could not help but experiencing nagging feelings of inadequacy transferring from a two-year state college to the Ivy League.
“There was this sneaking suspicion that they were going to figure me out,” recalls Robinson.
While his fears eventually subsided, he couldn’t help but face them nonetheless. The work, however did not go away. He remembers the somewhat jarring uptick in coursework. But it was not a spike for which he was ill-prepared, considering the full schedule of school, work and club activities he managed in Orlando.
“To say the academic rigor at Columbia takes away from that of Valencia is wrong. It’s not for nothing that it’s one of the best two-year colleges in the country,” Robinson says.
At Valencia, he served as a student editor for the college’s arts magazine, “Phoenix,” as well as joining the honor society and participating in the Model United Nations — an extra-curricular activity that likely prepared him for another huge step that would come after Columbia University: His time as a political appointee in Washington, D.C., at one of the most prestigious offices in the country.
“Valencia is an extremely diverse place to go to school,” says Robinson. “Getting a chance to work with other students from different backgrounds absolutely prepped me for my work at the White House.”
Read Robinson’s contribution to the White House Medium page in 2015.
Graduating from Columbia just five years after first enrolling at Valencia, Robinson applied successfully to become a high-level intern in the Obama administration, working every day in the East Wing in the desk closest to First Lady Michelle Obama.
Robinson fondly recalls his time at The White House. “[It] was a very diverse place to work with a lot of different people, a lot of great, competing ideas.”
As a White House intern for the Joining Forces Initiative, a program spearheaded by Michelle Obama and Jill Biden, Robinson found himself interacting with high level, senior personnel on a daily basis.
“I carry forward a lot from that experience,” says Robinson. “The most phenomenal part of the day-to-day was showing up.”
It was a daily routine that prepared him for his next role at the U.S. Department of Energy, where his first duty was to compile briefing books to inform Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz of relevant information regarding upcoming meetings and events. After a year at that post, he returned to the White House in a more permanent position as liaison to Veterans Affairs. He later headed back to the Department of Energy when the role of Advisor to Secretary opened up, an opportunity he credits to the working relationship he built with leadership during his previous time at the Department.
It’s safe to say, he’s come a long way since his days at Valencia’s Model U.N., and while he feels the “adrenaline” of learning and working in places of prestige he doesn’t think any less of his original academic stomping ground.
“I can hardly quantify how grateful I am for my Valencia experience,” Robinson beams. “The professors are amazing; I can’t thank them enough for the academic course they put me on.”
His favorite class at Valencia was Dr. George Brooks’ Medieval Humanities course. “He’s a phenomenal instructor,” says Robinson. “He really challenged me and it was in his class that I learned the most about writing.”
Robinson credits Professor Wallman’s informal yet engaging demeanor at the lectern as a determining factor in his pursuit of Philosophy. While some might think it a counter-intuitive field of study for a military veteran and future political appointee, he would go on to earn a bachelor’s in Philosophy at Columbia.
Robinson believes that more people should consider an unconventional path, such as the one he chose.
“There is sometimes this undue pressure for high school students to go directly to a four-year college when, in reality, there is a plethora of interesting jobs that don’t require four-year degrees. Should someone choose to go back to college after pursuing something else, like I did after the Marine Corps, excellent colleges like Valencia will be waiting.”
For more information on the Humanities Department in which Ryan Robinson studied, visit the program’s Valencia page to view courses.
