My name is Robin Blassingame Sr, and I am 57-year-old. I have seven children, four boys and three girls and 17 grandchildren (ten boys and seven girls). This is my first time going to college and making it this far! I graduated from ECC in May 2019 with my Associates degree in Art and Social Science and graduated. Most recently, I obtained my Bachelor of Science in Adult Education/Individualized Studies in May of 2023 from Buffalo State University. My grandmother was an inspiration and taught me how to be caring towards our community. She was the type of woman that gave clothes to the children around the neighborhood and fed them when they were hungry. She taught me to help those who are less fortunate than I am. I started helping others at a young age doing the same thing. I have made it my business during the fall and winter season to help those who do not have warm clothes. My first experience with helping people was when I joined the Salvation Army, I was what you call a Corp sergeant major and assisted pastor and head deacon. There, I taught Sunday school to the senior citizens, teenagers and whoever came into the church and helped with an after-school program where I worked with students. However, the one thing that stuck with me the most was helping feed those who were hungry every Sunday during the winter season. I had a chance to talk to those who were coming to get food to eat, and it broke my heart to see how many people were hurting. I am honored to serve and assist individuals in need.
What got me interested in going to college was my mentor Minister George Washington Jr. who was an EOP advisor at ECC and a member of the church I attended. He assisted me with applying to ECC through EOP. EOP not only helped me with my academic studies, they also helped with personal issues when I experienced the death of two of my aunts and my mother. I had promised my mother that I would graduate from Buffalo State, and I did with the help of EOP. As an EOP student I have always been encouraged to do better in my academic studies, study hard, and follow the guidelines of the courses I had taken. I am a self-motivated person who sets goals and works to achieve
them. I am the type of person who will always encourage and motivate others to try their best when working to achieve a goal or work out a problem. My goal is to help the people in my community have a better chance to make their life better.
