Will bylines be in Raven Robinson's future?

By Samantha Wagner, ENGL 336.003

Anyone who meets Raven Robinson quickly learns she is not a Pittsburgh Steelers fan. The twenty year old is a proud Baltimore, Maryland native and passionate Baltimore Ravens fan. Until she left for college, Raven lived in the same house all her life. Now nearly, two and a half hours from home, Raven is a junior and Mass Communication major at Frostburg State University. The move from city life to the small town of Frostburg, however, was not without adjustments. The limited shopping in the area and weather were among issues she had to get used to her freshman year. Raven admits she does not enjoy the snowy and cold conditions for which the university is known. In fact, she did not believe the rumors of the town’s chilly weather until she arrived. “I didn’t think they were serious,” she said with a laugh.

Even three years later she still has not adjusted to the cold and hopes to move somewhere warmer in the future. “I don’t get to travel very often, “she stated “but I love the beach.” During the cold months, Raven likes to play video games and listen to her favorite band, Paramore. Currently, her favorite television shows are Pretty Little Liars and Vampire Diaries. When the weather is right, however, Raven loves to play softball, swim and spend time with friends. On occasional breaks during the semester, she visits her family back in Baltimore. Raven is one of five siblings, four girls and one boy. Remarkably, she shares her birthday, September 25, with her only brother. Both of her parents worked at the Postal Service until recently when her father retired. “My mother is manager now,” she said proudly. Although she does not visit often while classes are in session, she plans to go home to help her younger sister prepare for Prom later this spring.

Like many college students, Raven’s goals are merely tentative and continue to change throughout her educational career. While she discovered her love of mass communications during middle school, she confesses that her goal has since shifted from “working on camera to working in behind-the-scenes production.” Her encounter with the subject again in high school only solidified her interest and when she arrived at Frostburg, she figured she “might as well” continue the communications course. After graduating in 2012, Raven plans on attending graduate school and while California has a certain appeal, she has been researching Howard University for a more affordable option. Recently, she narrowed her career focus again to magazine production and wants to get an internship with Girls' Life Magazine this summer. She hopes the opportunity will provide her with necessary experience and strengthen her interest in the field.