Robin McLawhorn:  

Well hello, my former classmates and old friends. Since high school, like many of you may have, I've had a varied working career—from building boats, to managing restaurants, to running a bed and breakfast. I even managed a band for a while. But unfortunately, like many of you, I have also suffered tremendous loss and had my heart completely broken, more than once. Aside from the death of both of my parents, the most traumatic thing I've endured was a very serious auto accident that resulted in cages, plates and a half dozen screws in my neck, as well as the promise of greater surgeries to come. Straight out of high school, I went to ECU, but I wasn't yet ready for the gift of an education, so I went to work, instead. From my teens, thru most of my 20s, I waded thru several different jobs and a few different girlfriends, but it wasn't until my late 20s that I really began to find my way. At 27, I met the woman who would change my life, the woman that I spent 20yrs with. We are no longer together, but we remain each other's very best friend, and it was with her encouragement that I finally went back to school. So, at 32, I returned to school and accidentally got a degree in Marine Science. I only meant to take a few classes because it was interesting, but before I knew it, I had completed the program. Once I understood that I could be a full-time student and not starve to death—and that I could actually keep a roof over my head—as soon as I graduated from the...Expand for more