Robbie Day, retention coordinator
What is your background?
Hello! My name is Robbie Day, and I was raised just outside of Medicine Park, OK. The U.S. Army brought my family to Fort Sill when I was 5 years old, and we’ve been here since. A first-generation college student, I graduated from Cameron University in Lawton, OK in 2019 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. Additionally, I am scheduled to graduate this December with a Master’s in Public Administration. As a true career college student, I will be starting another graduate certificate in the spring before eventually working toward a Ph.D. someday. I started working at UCO in August 2019 but briefly left from October 2021 through this past May to pursue other passions in Austin, TX, but I am blessed to be back home at UCO where I work in the TRIO-Student Support Services Office as a retention coordinator for our GEN STEM Program – which works to support first-generation, low-income undergraduate students in STEM fields on campus.
Tell me how you first got involved at UCO.
After undergrad, I knew I wanted to continue my education and sought opportunities to be able to work while I pursued a graduate degree. I considered myself to be hard-working, dependable, enthusiastic, energetic and looking for ways to make a career out of giving back to a community. I thank Dr. Victoria Arnold Harrel, Dr. Chez Redmond, DeShawn Watson, Michael Hendricks, Adrian Rodriguez and so many others for allowing me to work alongside them and investing in my professional development. Working here is truly the opportunity of a lifetime and I am very blessed to be doing what I do to support students.
What would you say your strongest beliefs are about your contributions to the university?
I believe the work I do is important because it has a direct impact on a student’s ability to stay at UCO and succeed in their coursework. Being a first-generation college student myself, I understand how important it is to find supportive, understanding and caring mentors who are able to navigate university life and provide resources and opportunities that never would have been possible otherwise. Everyone deserves to have someone who believes in their ability to reach their goals despite the challenges and circumstances that life has thrown at them.
What do you do when you are not working?
Even when I am not working, I’m most likely still working on or toward something. Being a full-time employee and grad student doesn’t leave a person with “a lot” of free time – which I know most of you can relate to this lifestyle. My passions include any and everything Taylor Swift, spending time with family and friends, conquering the elliptical and exploring new foods, music and experiences. Every day that I am able to work toward my personal goals is a day well spent.
