Dr. Lisa Robinson loves the University of West Georgia so much she wants to help students succeed in any way she can. So much so, that she has become a Clinical Nurse Leader Certification Ambassador.

Robinson, an associate professor in UWG’s Tanner Health System School of Nursing, feels that she owes her career to UWG, after earning her bachelor’s degree in nursing here in 2000.

“I wouldn’t be who I am without UWG,” Robinson began. “I was a first-generation college student. Being from the small town of Bowdon, my parents were afraid for me to go away to Atlanta. They felt I was more safe nearby at West Georgia.”

Robinson strives daily to use what she learned from UWG and in turn, pay it forward.

“UWG gave me the ability to have a better life,” Robinson said. “And we do the same for so many students from the surrounding area – students whose parents are concerned about them going so far away from home.”

As a CNL Certification Ambassador, Robinson feels she can help others achieve their dreams – and at the same time, assist in expanding enrollment in UWG’s CNL program.

According to the Commission on Nurse Certification, the CNL Ambassador program provides a vehicle for marketing the program at the state and local level. It is a voluntary program with any expenses incurred being the responsibility of the ambassador.

As an ambassador, Robinson makes herself available to anyone in Georgia who searches online for information on becoming a certified nurse leader. This places her in a position to bring attention to UWG’s nursing education programs, especially the CNL program.

At this time, Robinson is the only ambassador who has stepped up to serve in this role in Georgia.

“The support of my colleagues, the administration and UWG as a whole has encouraged me,” Robinson said. “We are supported and encouraged to be our best – and to reach out and look for opportunities to better ourselves and take advantage of those opportunities.”

Robinson sees this opportunity also as a chance to be a mentor to THSSON students.

“I want them to take a step beyond just going to work every day,” she concluded. “I want these talented students to seek opportunities to better themselves and to take on leadership roles. Don’t let those opportunities go by.”