For Dr. Pamela Robinson, a school board member for Harrison schools, District 2, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the news that a local education building would bear her name came as a complete surprise. She recounted shedding tears upon realizing the significance of the honor.

“I kept seeing these people, and I’m like, why are all these people at this board meeting? And my superintendent pointed, and she had a picture of the sign, […]; My husband was there, but I didn’t know. My daughters knew, and so the district told them; I had lots of former teachers there, my secretary, just all the staff. It was wonderful,” she said.

Robinson’s career in education spans over 30 years, a path she attributes to the influence of her grandmother and parents.

“Mama finished, I think it was 11th grade, but she was an avid reader. She loved reading. She loved all things newspapers back then, and my grandfather was a longshoreman, but he also farmed,” she said, highlighting the value her family placed on learning.

driven by a desire for a different future, robinson became a first-generation college student in the 1970s, a time when blue-collar professions were prevalent in her area.

Robinson noted that Federal and DuPont were major employers in Columbus County.

After graduating from Fayetteville State University,she and her husband relocated to Colorado,were she embarked on her teaching career and eventually became a principal,a role she held for 19 years.

“We hovered between 87% and 90% Free and Reduced Lunch (FRL)so it’s a Title I schoolwith lots of needs, but my motto was, ‘neighbors make the neighborhood,'” Robinson said, emphasizing her commitment to supporting students from low-income backgrounds.

Robinson believes her community outreach played a notable role in her recognition. She actively supported families in nearby apartments who struggled financially.

“We made it a point to know the manager. We would do home visits. If parents needed phone calls; if they worked at night and needed a phone call to get up so we can get those babies to school, we were calling, ‘Hey, time to wake up.’ You know, grandmothers raised some of the children so we would go over and just help get them ready and get them to school,” she explained.

Robinson credits her upbringing in Columbus County for her ability to connect with these families.

“So I think sharing my story of coming from humble beginnings, as well as doing home visits, but home visits that supported them, not [ones] to say, ‘You need to get them to school,’ but really building positive professional relationships,” she said.

School’s Transformation and Community Support

“Don’t let a closed door stop you, because one closed door may mean two will open.”

Although her elementary school closed due to declining enrollment a couple of years ago, it has since reopened as a Career Academy for 6th-12th graders.

Robinson noted the strong community support during the school’s closure declaration.

“They came out, and they argued in a very informative, educated way, about closing Black and Brown schools.They were just very extraordinary, and I think it truly surprised our management, and we had so much community support,” she said.

Robinson offers a message of encouragement to students facing challenges:

“Don’t let a closed door stop you, because one closed door may mean two will open. And so what I would tell them to do is just do the work, and the legacy will come if you are truly passionate, push through, because if you are passionate enough about that dream, it will come true,” Robinson said.

Despite living in Colorado for most of the year, Bolton, NC, remains close to her heart.

“When my husband and I go home, as Colorado springs, we’re growing, but then when we go home, everyone is just so relaxed. And I just love that, feel that, but I also I’m starting to feel a vibe of young people starting to step up and have a voice, and that’s what we need,” she said.

Robinson hopes to attend the Pine Festival next month, where her grandfather used to fry fish, a tradition now carried on by one of his sons. While she may need to assist a former colleague, she plans to return home this fall.