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Class of 2009
College of Arts & Science
Major: Economics and East Asian Studies
Hometown: Amelia Island, FL
In addition to service trips to Waycross, Georgia and Juarez, Mexico, Rob’s high school volunteer activities included spending time with the mentally handicapped through Best Buddies. At the same time, Rob was involved in Interact Club and National Honor Society, partaking in canned-food drives, senior citizen car washes, and roadside clean-ups.
While at Vanderbilt Rob has worked with Students Promoting Environmental Awareness and Recycling (SPEAR). During his sophomore year, as a Committee Chair he helped organize a proposal for a university Resource Conservation Director, which eventually led to the creation of the position. Also during his second year Rob founded Vanderbilt Students for Students (VSS), an organization devoted to helping alleviate the financial burden of college faced by students at under-resourced high schools.
VSS, which has recently applied for 501(c)3 non-profit status, raises money through donations and various fundraisers in order to award college scholarships. Under Rob’s direction, The Vandy Mile Bonanza, a running event and the largest of the organization’s fundraisers, saw over 150 participants and raised more than $1500 in its inaugural year. While splitting time with his responsibilities on the varsity cross country team, Rob plans to continue growing the organization and expand the program to other Nashville high schools.
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