MCCC Foundation Board Member Ty Robinson Used the School’s Youth College as His Springboard for Success
Foundation’s Finance Committee chair says Mercer programs helped him go “above and beyond” in life.
10/20/20
West Windsor, N.J. – Mercer County Community College (MCCC) Foundation Board member Ty Robinson is all about paying it forward. As a financial advisor at Edward Jones Investments in Robbinsville, he helps clients map out fiscal strategies for living retirement, planning for the unexpected, paying for education, and protecting their estates.
Affordable education is near to Robinson’s heart. Originally from Trenton, Robinson says that affording an education seemed out of reach for him.
After graduating from Trenton Public Schools, Robinson was accepted to more than a dozen colleges, but only one was a financial fit.
“I was quickly asked to leave due to having a lack of funds,” Robinson says.
With nowhere else to turn, Robinson looked to MCCC’s Youth College and Upward Bound programs, where he spent much of his primary and secondary school years.
“The Youth College staff knew my home life was not the best,” Robinson says. He connected with program director Don Davis, who Robinson says would “give me a ride home or make sure I had some food or snacks” during the youth program.
He added that back then, Davis and Youth College were even responsible for helping him get a summer job.
During a visit years later with Davis and some of his fellow Youth College alumni, Robinson explained that financially he wasn’t able to continue attending college.
“Mr. Davis was able to use some of his connections and made a few calls to get me into the Educational Opportunity Program at Rider University the very next semester,” Robinson says.
He graduated from Rider with a degree in communications with a concentration in business, and Robinson attributes much of his success to the support he received at Mercer.
Now, he holds Series 6, 7, 63 and 66 securities registrations, is a licensed life and health insurance producer and a member of the Edward Jones Grassroots Task Force, which expresses concerns of individual investors to local, state and national lawmakers. Robinson is also active in his community, serving as membership chair of the Hamilton Rotary Club in addition to his role as Finance Committee chair of MCCC’s Foundation Board.
At Mercer, Robinson hopes to bring more diversity to the board, explore urban initiatives, and help support more programs with the Youth College.
“I give Mercer lots of credit for helping me turn my life around by getting an education, and putting me on the path to my current career and success,” Robinson says. “Even when I was no longer a student they still went above and beyond for me. I will always be grateful to Mercer’s Youth College for all they do!”
A graduate of Rider University, Robinson serves as the MCCC Foundation's Finance Committee chair.