Club Member Spotlight: Shamia Robinson
Meet Shamia Robinson, a Myers Park High School sophomore and a four-year Sedgefield Boys & Girls Club member. Robinson started the Club as a quiet middle schooler who stayed to herself. Today, she’s blossomed into a Club teen who helps younger members during Power Hour.
“They [the Club] helped me mature,” Robinson says. “I am a very changed person.”
While talking about her childhood, Robinson says she’s been through some tough situations.
“My attitude and my anger issues used to be so horrible,” she says. “The yelling, the screaming, I used to stress myself out so bad.”
But as Robinson spent more time at the club, she began to change. She has learned the importance of school and how hard work and dedication can help her achieve good grades. Robinson is currently an A/B honor roll student and is determined to maintain this achievement throughout high school. Additionally, she has developed the valuable skill of patience, which she has practiced with her peers and at home with her little sisters. With the guidance of the Clubs' Youth Development Professionals and Program Coordinators, Robinson is on the right path to success.
“They [Club staff] treat us like their own kids, honestly,” she says. “Whatever goals or aspirations we have for ourselves, they do their best to help us out.”
She specifically mentions Branch Manager Courtney Curry, or as the kids call him, Mr. C, who has been her mentor since joining the Club four years ago.
“He’s just so real and has a lot of experience,” she says. “Everything that he notices about us, our upcoming or our downfall, it doesn't matter what it is, he is going to come and try to help you out as much as he can.” She adds, “He gives great advice and says things you should always take to heart.”
After graduating from Myers Park, Robinson wants to attend college and study to become a psychiatrist or a therapist. Her career aspirations stem from her childhood when she wanted an outlet to express herself without repercussions.
“I want other kids to be able to express themselves. If you can’t talk to your parents, know that somebody is listening, somebody is going to help you, somebody is going to hear you out,” she says.
With a new attitude and view on life, Robinson is confident she will succeed in whatever she does. She thanks the Club for keeping her busy and out of trouble, allowing her to shift her focus elsewhere.
At the end of the day, “I’m always happy to come through those doors,” she says.