Anna Robbins

Why would someone quit a successful job and move 2,000 miles across the country at the start of the third trimester of her pregnancy?

For Anna Robbins, the answer comes easy. “I always knew I would return because I had a piece of Weber State in my heart,” she said, explaining her move last summer.

Robbins first attended WSU in 2007 as a track athlete, fresh out of high school. Reluctant to leave the warmth of Arizona for Utah’s colder climate, she overcame her initial nervousness and made the most of her experience. “I jumped in, got involved and made friends,” she said.

She ran track, discovered rugby, got involved in housing, served as the student senator for diversity and pursued studies in athletic training. In hindsight, Robbins realizes she took on too many roles at once. She eventually left and finished her degree at BYU Hawaii.

When Robbins decided to pursue a master’s degree to better support her future child, her heart led her back to Weber State. Again, she left her comfort zone, this time a successful job in personal training in Virginia, for Utah. After giving birth to her son, Rio, last October, Robbins laughs that everyone knew her as the person who brought her baby to class.

In May, Robbins combined her passion for fitness and desire to serve by enrolling in the Salt Lake Police Academy, days before George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis.  

For Robbins, that was even more of a reason to pursue her new career.

“I’m a supporter of Black Lives Matter, and that can be awkward when you are in law enforcement,” Robbins said. “We need good police officers. We can’t let a few bad eggs ruin all the positive. The academy does not teach us to use excessive force.”

She recently switched her graduate program to the Master of Professional Communication degree at WSU, in hopes that she’ll learn how to de-escalate situations, and use communication skills to educate and dispel misunderstandings.

During the 2020–21 academic year, she will serve as African Diaspora Student Senator for the WSU Student Association.

“I love getting involved,” she said. “That is my energy. That’s what drives me.”

This article was published Jan. 27, 2021.