BEYOND T H E C L A S S RO O M
FACULTY
As a Black woman in the sciences, Theresa Robinson has experienced her share of gender and racial bias. “Sometimes in college I was the only woman or the only Black student in my courses,” recalls Robinson, associate professor of education and director of secondary education at Elmhurst. “I remember very vividly being told that I didn’t belong.” Robinson has made it her life’s mission to break down those barriers and open the door to careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) for all learners. Inspired by her own teachers, she pursued a career in science education, first at the high school level and now at Elmhurst. “Teachers made a difference in my life. Teachers identified my gifts and my talents and nurtured them,” she said.
NEXT GEN STEM
“My mother and father were teen parents. But my teachers opened up the world for me and showed me what I could do.”
prehensive redesign of the University’s secondary education program, adding new middle-grade programs to expand students’ career options.
Robinson’s science teachers encouraged her interest in the field, even driving her to science fairs all over Chicago. One teacher connected her with scientists at the University of Chicago, where she was hired as an after-school lab assistant. From there, she went on to get an undergraduate degree in biology and then won a fellowship to support her Ph.D. work.
She also heads up Elmhurst’s STEM Academy, which introduces the joys of math and science to underrepresented high school students. Beyond her work at Elmhurst, she serves on the board of Girls Like Me Project Inc., a program that empowers Black girls to overcome negative stereotypes, and she co-founded the Black Educational Advocacy Coalition, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the success of Black students in STEM.
“That’s what my passion is. It’s been my life,” she said. “That’s what gets me out of bed in the “And I know that that can be morning,” she said. “That’s what has the case for other students me shipping science kits all across too. Even if they don’t have the United States for the Summer STEM Academy. It’s what has me the family structure at home, teachers can make a difference.” doing workshops on how to make Robinson began her career teaching biology and environmental science in Chicago Public Schools before turning her attention to higher education. At Elmhurst, she recently led a com-
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Theresa Robinson has dedicated her career to leveling the playing field for underrepresented students in math, science, technology and engineering.
soap for the Girls Like Me Project. It’s my passion for science, but more importantly, my passion to support students and show them they can do it too.”
