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Darius Robinson \u201995 \u201998 recently established an endowment at SIU for students graduating from East St. Louis High School. Robinson graduated from SIU with a bachelor\u2019s degree in industrial technology and a master\u2019s degree in manufacturing systems.<\/p>\n
Robinson said his father was a contributing factor in deciding to establish the scholarship.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father, Johnnie Robinson, was a big giver in terms of leadership, discipline, and being a role model. He was my baseball coach in East St. Louis when I was eight years old until I reached 18 years of age. There were a lot of kids on the team who did not have a father figure, so I learned to share my dad with the rest of the team. What is remarkable about my dad is that he did not get paid for that, and he gave many hours to bridge the gap for so many young people,\u201d Robinson said.<\/p>\n
Robinson\u2019s father always taught him that when you come home from work, you don\u2019t just come home and focus on yourself.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou make yourself productive by helping others. He taught me that giving back is how you make a difference in your community and in your life,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
In 2016, Robinson joined I AM ABLE, a not-for-profit Chicago charity that enriches the lives of students from 8th grade through college who aspire to become medical doctors. In addition, Darius joined the Sister Cities Committee of Hanover Park. As a Sister Cities Committee member, Darius volunteers to support an elementary school in Cape Coast Ghana, West Africa. In addition to Cape Coast Ghana, volunteer support is given to an elementary school in Zacatecas Mexico. He volunteers on the weekend and often travels to other countries to help local schools with supplies and needed assistance. Robinson said that by volunteering and through the SIU scholarship he established, he can help a student want to be a better person and get an education so that it gives their life purpose.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope this example of how I am living my life spurs others to pay it forward in their communities and create a cycle of giving back to others,\u201d Robinson said.<\/p>\n
Robinson and his wife, Norlander, reside in Hanover Park, Illinois, where Robinson works as an operations manager for Menzies Aviation. His role is to manage the jet fuel and hydrant system that is used to fuel the aircrafts at O\u2019Hare International Airport.<\/p>\n
\u201cSIU prepared me well for my career. Most of my professors were industrial engineers and they did a great job of teaching me how to analyze a situation and how to trouble shoot and achieve my objectives,\u201d Robinson said.<\/p>\n
When Robinson is not volunteering, he enjoys studying ancient history and religion.<\/p>\n
\u201cI consider myself a life student. I\u2019ve made several trips to the pyramids in Egypt and by going through the tombs, I learned how Africans contributed to the world by building the pyramids. I am fascinated by history,\u201d Robinson said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Darius Robinson \u201995 \u201998 recently established an endowment at SIU for students graduating from East St. Louis High School. Robinson graduated from SIU with a bachelor\u2019s degree in industrial technology and a master\u2019s degree in manufacturing systems. Robinson said his father was a contributing factor in deciding to establish the scholarship. \u201cMy father, Johnnie Robinson, … Continue reading Alumnus pays it forward with an endowed scholarship for East St. Louis graduates<\/span>