March 2023
Robby Chin 2011
DEGREES:
B.A. Environmental Studies, Minor in Business Management
CURRENT EMPLOYER
Salisbury University
CURRENT OCCUPATION
Program Administrative Specialist, Multicultural Student Services
DESCRIBE YOUR CAREER PATH
After graduation, I immediately started working on local farms to learn how to grow high-quality produce and meats using sustainable and organic production practices. The aim was to use my degree in environmental studies and my minor in business management to own a farm of my own one day. After five years, I did a road trip around the country with my wife, Marie, and our dog, Tuxedo, to look for a place to buy land and build a farm. We ultimately decided to come back to Salisbury, and here we are today. As we focused on saving money, a friend recommended me to take a management position at the MAC (Maintaining Active Citizens) Center in Salisbury. I loved training with mature and special populations, which grew my ability to connect and support people of all ages, backgrounds, abilities, beliefs and identities. I enjoyed it so much that I stayed there for seven years!
I always dreamt of coming back to SU as an employee, and in October 2022, the dream became reality. The aggregate of my work experiences helped me land a dream job I didn’t even know existed. I’m so honored to be a part of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion so that I can offer my skills to support and cultivate the potential of our campus community of students, faculty and staff!
MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU LEARNED WHILE ATTENDING SALISBURY UNIVERSITY
Success can be defined in many different ways depending on who you ask, but I learned that the connections and relationships that you make with the people around you are what makes you a rich person in life – and I’m not just talking monetarily. There’s a world of opportunities out there for you and others. We must wake up and show up for ourselves, and we need to be present and supportive of others because you never know what someone has or is going through. You might be the difference maker, the game changer or even the life saver.
WHAT CAMPUS ACTIVITIES/ORGANIZATIONS WERE YOU INVOLVED WITH?
I was involved with Club Lacrosse and helped support my friends in the African Student Association. I generally focused on my academic performance and growing in my personal knowledge of athletic training.
BEST COLLEGE MEMORY
I’ve had so many good memories with the incredible people I’ve met thanks to SU. In 2010, the Club Lacrosse team was in a semi-final game that was a night game against the Naval Academy at the University of Maryland College Park. At half time, we were down by a handful of goals, but then the lights turned off and the game was delayed temporarily! We knew we had to make a change, so we did. Our jerseys were reversible, so we flipped our uniforms because “Champions Wear Gold!” We ended up beating Navy and the next day went to the championship game against UMCP. We won the Division 1 National Club Lacrosse Championship and it was extra special because we didn’t even have a coach! We excelled because we bought into a culture of team first, lifting each other up and respecting one another as individuals. It was one of the most inclusive teams I’ve ever been a part of.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE SALISBURY UNIVERSITY?
I wanted to come to SU and play lacrosse. When I was in elementary school, I remember watching Salisbury play in the DIII National Lacrosse Championship and I fell in love with how they played the game. After my initial recruiting visit, I met my roommate and eventual groomsman Bobby Audley, and from there, I knew Salisbury was going to be home. Plus, I love the water, and I knew I wanted to be surrounded by the beach and the bay.
IF YOU COULD DESCRIBE SALISBURY UNIVERSITY IN THREE WORDS, WHAT WOULD THEY BE AND WHY?
Opportunity, Caring, Community: Salisbury University is full of opportunities to develop yourself personally and professionally. This is a place where your fellow students, staff and faculty genuinely care about your well-being and success in and outside the classroom. There’s always someone who believes in you. Community is one of the most important adjectives to describe SU because I’ve focused on a life of service to the greater Salisbury community and fellow Sea Gulls, and in return I’ve been blessed with purposes that give my life special power and meaning.
FAVORITE VACATION SPOT AND WHY?
I live where I vacate. There’s not enough life left to live that would give me enough time to explore all the amazing places on the Eastern Shore. From beach to bay, there’s no other place I’d rather go play.
GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT
I’ve found a place to call home, and it started with Salisbury University.
WHAT IS SOMETHING PEOPLE DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU?
I love to take my kayak and solo paddle into the evening or dark pre-dawn hours of the day to experience and contemplate the fragility of life and witness the beauty of a sunrise or sunset to help put everything back into perspective. I know it can be dangerous, but I plan for the worst and pray for the best. Also … I’m still a Certified Personal Trainer when I’m not on campus!
HOBBIES/OTHER INTERESTS
I love being a personal trainer because I get to help people live their best lives and actualize their potential. Train your brain and build your body! I also love to be on the water kayaking, boating, fishing, clamming, picking mussels etc. I help grow oysters for a company called Honest Oysters of Maryland outside of Girdletree, MD. We buy tens of thousands of spat every spring and grow them in a sustainable manner that provides a net gain for the Chincoteague Bay. We retail most of our oysters to Evolution Public House and Mogan’s Oyster House downtown. It’s my way of giving back to the place that continues to give me so much!