Ellie Robbins is learning to drive while her brother is learning to walk. Robbins, a junior, is the eldest of six. She finds herself balancing the weight of her roles at home and school. She is thinking about her future: the unknowns with college acceptances, rejections, a career beyond higher education and looking after her siblings. She knows what career she is shooting for, but the pressure to get there feels enormous.
Robbins’ mother, stepfather and aunt have all been teachers. She looks up to them for what they give back to the community. Robbins tries to follow their example and help the younger children in her life.
As the oldest sibling in her family, Robbins assumes a certain responsibility for her siblings. Her parents do not place this pressure on her; she seeks it. Robbins values having close relationships with each one of her brothers.
Robbins would like to go to school somewhere close to home so she won’t miss important moments in her brothers’ lives. This is an additional layer of complication in her college search.
“I feel like I have a big role in their life, especially because there are some things you don’t want to tell your parents, but you could tell someone like your sibling,” Robbins said. “And I want to be that person for all of them.”
Her oldest brother, Eddie, is 14 while her youngest brother, Mackenzie, is only ten months old. Robbins is worried that she won’t be as close to Mackenzie as she is to her other brothers because she will be away from home early in his life. However, she is determined to know each of her brothers as a person, and let them know her.
Robbins has already gotten her driver’s license and frequently picks her brothers up from their schools. This will also enable her to visit her family from college and maintain her robust sibling bonds. Robbins is not going to let a 15-year age gap distance her from Mackenzie.
Mackenzie was born to Robbins’ stepmom when she was a sophomore. Although she didn’t want another brother initially, Robbins cried tears of joy when she learned that her stepmom was pregnant. When Mackenzie finally arrived, it was hard for Robbins to contain her excitement.
“It was four in the morning, and it was dark,” Robbins said. “My stepmom walked into my room, and my first thought was that the power had gone out, but it was to tell me they were going to the hospital. I was so excited to meet my fifth brother that I could not fall back asleep.”
Due to her big family, Robbins has been around small children for the majority of her life. This has impacted her career plans and helped her develop advanced empathy and patience.
“I think they’ve made me feel more comfortable around little kids,” Robbins said.
Her dream is to teach at the elementary school level where she will be able to form strong connections with each of the children. Robbins is particularly drawn to teaching first and second grade.
Regardless of her uncertainties surrounding college, Robbins is making strides toward her goals. Partnering with one of her brother’s teachers at Ann Arbor Open School, Robbins has been able to have hands-on experience teaching kids in the classroom. Following in the footsteps of her relatives, she is working to pursue a teaching career.
“I love working with kids and watching them grow as they’re learning,” Robbins said. “And also, I would love to have my summers off.”
When Robbins sees others who have not spent quality time around small kids interacting with children, she notices that they think kids are “grimy gremlins.” Being a witness to her brothers’ moments of pride and resilience has given her a different perspective.
Fueled by compassion and a drive to impact kids’ lives, Robbins’ next step toward becoming a teacher is going to college to pursue a degree in education.
“I think that’s my biggest unknown because until I have stepped into a college, I’m just gonna be worried about it,” Robbins said.
She is taking measures to handle this fear while she is still in high school. For example, Robbins is looking into local colleges and ones with higher acceptance rates. These schools increase her confidence when it comes to acceptance and ease her worries about being too far from her brothers.
While the college application process can be an acute stressor for students, resources are there to help. The CHS counseling office is available for anyone looking to discuss their post-secondary options. Additionally, the counseling website has timelines, articles, books and other preparatory resources for all grade levels. The CHS counseling website can be found at communityhighschoolcounseling.weebly.com, or students can visit in person.
“I really want to be a teacher,” Robbins said.
Unsure of which college will help her get there, Robbins is determined to achieve her dream.
