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published: Sunday, July 12, 2009

Troubled teen pays back community that helped him succeed

By ROMONA WASHINGTON

editor@newssun.com

LAKE PLACID - At 18, most teens are graduating or have graduated from high school. They are either entering the work force or planning their freshman year at college. Sometimes both.

Teon Robinson was different. He was a troubled teen. He had been in out-of-school suspension and in-school suspension so much at Lake Placid High School that he'd earned the reputation as a trouble-maker. Despite the fact he had a 4.0 grade point average, that high GPA dropped to a 2.0. He lost his ability to play on the school's baseball team, and he admits to losing his focus.

Robinson said he was accused of being the instigator of a riot that broke out at LPHS just three days before final exams his junior year. The charges were dropped but he was expelled from school. When police came to take him to the Juvenile Detention Center in Bartow, they found marijuana in his pockets.

He was facing 15 years in prison, he said, and grim times.

"I was so hurt. All of the hard work had gone down the drain," he said.

The love of his mother, Rossalind Robinson, and others in the community helped him get back on the right track. "Peter Estrada was the prosecuting attorney at the time and Judge (David) Langford was the judge. I thank God for laying it on their hearts to give me a second chance. We all get it at a certain point. For me, that point was then," he said.

He enrolled at Sebring High School as a freshman at the age of 18. His mother continued to be a strong, influential force in his life, as did Theresa Williams, who is a member of Drug Free Highlands and director of the Star Center in Lake Placid. Williams and her colleagues continued to pray for him, to encourage him to succeed and to not give up.

About the only thing Teon Robinson had going for him at the time was his loving mother who was devoted to the service and will of God, and he had a love for sports.

Williams, who at the time was a drug prevention specialist with The School Board of Highlands County, keyed on that and gave Robinson a book that showed he could attend college on a sport scholarship. His life began to turn around and he finally graduated from high school at the age of 20.

He enrolled at Savannah State University and was a walk-on for the school's baseball team.

"I had never been outside of Highway Park until I went to Savannah. Up there I was a loner. I made a lot of bad choices in high school, but made a lot of good choices in college," he said.

In May 2008, Robinson graduated in the top 10 percent of his class with a bachelor's degree in business administration and currently continues to study to obtain his master's degree in education. Today, he is 24.

"My God knows how to take a human being and turn him around. He is the greatest master worker of all," Robinson said. His motto has become: "It's not about making a dollar; it's about making a difference. So let's make a difference together."

His mother, who he calls his best bud, taught him mental toughness, humility and devotion to the service and will of God. The Star Center and Williams helped reinforce that message.

Robinson recalls how two weeks prior to the riot incident at LPHS a man walked up to him at a church service on a Friday night. "He looked at me and his exact words were 'It seems you are headed to a penitentiary, but you're going to land in a university and that university has your name all over it.' I didn't know him and he didn't know me. I've never seen him since," Robinson said.

Robinson, who is the first of 12 siblings to graduate from college, came back this summer to help the young people of his neighborhood. This weekend, he is coordinating a talent showcase for Central Florida residents. He is calling it the Neighborhood Festival '09, to be held at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park in Lake Placid and at the STAR Center.

He has big plans to make this a premier spot to showcase players to college recruiters, as well as kids with other talents. "This showcase is to unite a diverse population. Not all kids play sports. I want to showcase their talents as well," he said.

He hopes to make the event a fund raiser not only for scholarships, but for the STAR Center.

"I was fortunate to go off to college and play baseball. I know I can be a gateway to get kids into college. I want to mentor to help kids and help them with their SAT's so they can get into college. I want to use this as an opportunity to break the cycle. There are a lot of kids out there who are going down the same path I once went down," he said.

Robinson is the director of the Youth Sports Ministry in his church and is a teacher at Largo-Tibet Elementary School. He is in the process of creating a non-profit organization called "Slaying the Dragon." He stated this will "serve as a purpose to teach our youth that with God first in their lives, together we can overcome any obstacle, fear, or burden that may hinder us from being successful in every aspect of life."

In the meantime he has organized, with the help of many sponsors, neighbors and local pastors, the Neighborhood Festival of 2009.

All day Saturday and again this afternoon, organized games are taking place at Martin Luther King Jr. Park.

Today's softball tournament is free of charge and open to anyone who wants to join a team play. There will also be a home run derby for the Barry Bonds of the area.

Saturday people of all ages enjoyed basketball, volley ball, badminton, flag football and a talent show showcase.

The money raised at the event is going to the STAR center and a scholarship fund for local students in college.

Robinson said he wanted to help the neighborhood together. He also wanted to thank all the women in the community who spent so many years praying for the children and providing them support.

Robinson's mother, Rossalind Robinson, had a wide smile on her face as she watched a group of young men wrestle a tent into being.

"I'm so elated and proud of this event today," she said, "and of what Teon has done. My prayer is that this is not just a one time event, but something will go on and on."