Soldier and Scholar

Skylee Robinson has triumphed over more adversity in her young life than most people do in a lifetime, but you'd never know it from her infectious smile and the enthusiasm with which she tackles every new challenge. Skylee is not just the first member of her large family to go to college; she's also the first to graduate from high school. One of four children, she was raised by a feisty single mom who struggled to make ends meet by working in construction as an electrician. "As a woman, my mom had to fight hard to be accepted in the dominantly male construction trades," Skylee says. "She set a wonderful example for me that women could be strong too."

In her senior year at Thomas Jefferson High in Auburn, Skylee joined the Army National Guard-encouraged by her mother, who had dreamed of serving in the military. After graduation, Skylee went to basic training for 10 weeks and entered the UW in the fall of 2000, expecting to fulfill the rest of her military obligation with monthly reserve meetings. She applied to the Business School during her freshman year and was accepted under the early admit program for outstanding UW students.

After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Skylee's future at the Business School became increasingly uncertain with the prospect that her reserve unit would be called to active duty. After several false alarms, her unit was activated in November 2003 for two years and Skylee was forced to leave her studies and report for active duty in the Army. Instead of classes in accounting and marketing, she found herself in the Mojave Desert, learning how to identify roadside bombs and shoot an M-16 from a moving Humvee to simulate dangerous convoy operations in Iraq.

Fortunately, the Army decided that Skylee's skills as a paralegal were needed more at Fort Lewis than in Iraq - so she served her active duty in the legal trenches, gaining valuable experience as part of the support team that successfully prosecuted a highly publicized espionage case involving a U.S. soldier.

Scheduled to return to civilian life this fall, Skylee is once again attending the Business School and committed to graduating in June 2006. "Because of my military service, it's taking two years longer than I expected, but the time wasn't wasted," she says. "I served my country and I got enough experience in law to know that's what I want to do for a career."

Since she was accepted at the Business School, Skylee has been awarded three scholarships, which made a huge difference in the quality of her educational experience.

"Because of those scholarships, I was able to take advantage of fantastic internships at Deloitte, Merrill Lynch, and the Washington State auditor's office. I learned an incredible amount from those experiences, but without scholarship money it would have been far more difficult."

Skylee is excited about becoming a full-time student again. After earning her B.A., she wants to go to law school and eventually use her knowledge of business and law to help disadvantaged and at-risk youth. "I feel very fortunate to have emerged from the background I have," Skylee says. "I want to encourage other kids that they can do the same."

Return to August 2005 BA Alumni News