Ijahnae Robinson

Current Position: Master of Science in Environmental Science Student

Story Posted: Summer 2025

Ijahnae Robinson discovered GMercyU through her mother, a proud GMercyU alum, but a key scholarship opportunity made Ijahnae’s future at GMercyU all the more real. Her high school, Cristo Rey, introduced a partnership with GMercyU to award students a scholarship. Ijahnae was fortunate enough to receive the scholarship.

“This was something that solidified my decision, but after touring the campus and seeing how amazing the communities and facilities were, I was committed,” Ijahnae shared.

Ijahnae also received the Clara Glover Endowed Scholarship, which provides recognition and financial assistant to an outstanding student with a 3.0 minimum grade point average (GPA).

Life on Campus

My favorite part of GMercyU is the community itself and the feeling of fulfillment in everything that you can get involved in. When I first started, I was only involved as a Griffin Ambassador and as a Voices of Gwynedd member. Once I got more involved, I became more aware of how being a part of so many different organizations can change your life. Those experiences truly showed me what I had been missing at the beginning of my experience at Gwynedd. Being able to make an impact on our GMercyU community made me feel very fulfilled.

Ijahnae served as the Funding Treasurer for the Student Government Association, where she maintained the funds for several clubs/organizations and helped the Purchasing Treasurer with other budgetary manners. As the Treasurer of Open Jam Club, Ijahnae tracked budgetary costs for the club. She was also the President of the Public Health Club, where she helped organize events on campus that spread awareness for how public health impacts the world, including the Public Health Fair during National Public Health Week. As Vice President of the Black Student Union, Ijahnae ran member meetings and helped put together events bringing awareness to the campus community about social justice. Ijahnae also served as the Secretary of the Voices of Gwynedd, where she kept record of all club information and took minutes for officer meetings. In spring 2025, Ijahnae was inducted into the National Society of Leadership Success.

As a Resident Assistant, Ijahnae enforced residence hall policies and regulations to ensure the safety, security, and wellbeing of all residents. She also planned and facilitated community-building activities, programs, and events for her residents to promote a sense of belonging and connection. Ijahnae also served as a resource and mentor to residents, providing guidance, support, and referrals to campus resources when needed.

Volunteer Work

In addition to her leadership roles, Ijahnae was a volunteer at Cradles to Crayons and The Bean Bag Food Program during her Resident Assistant training. She also had the pleasure of participating in the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice in Washington, D.C. where she listened to keynote speakers, attended breakout sessions, and advocated on Capitol Hill.

As a Public Health major, Ijahnae traveled with classmates to the Mustard Seed Communities in Jamaica for a week-long service trip. During the trip, Ijahnae cared for adolescents with cerebral palsy and taught young mothers and adolescents with HIV about healthy relationships, mental health, and sexual assault.

Why Public Health?

“I knew from high school that I wanted to be in healthcare but help marginalized communities in the process. And by changing my major to Public Health, I got to experience a whole different way of learning how to help others. Public health is truly a field that focuses on protecting and helping improve communities’ day-to-day-lives,” shared Ijahnae. “That is what interested me the most and drew me into this major. It opened me up to different concentrations of public health that I'd like to specialize in, like Environmental Science, which is what I will be studying in graduate school at Villanova University, and Epidemiology.”

Experience in the Public Health program

While she was nervous to begin the program, Ijahnae quickly found herself at home in the Public Health program.

“Despite all the nervousness, I realized in this program that I truly had faculty and peers in my corner who cared about me, and that is why I truly thank Sharla Willis, Maria Warnick, Victory Osezua, and Stephanie Fratantaro for being those professors who never gave up on me and pushed me to my fullest potential,” Ijahnae said.

Hands-On Experience

Ijahnae completed an internship in GMercyU’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) office under the direction of Tatiana Diaz, AVP of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. She assisted in implementing DEI programs, initiatives, and training sessions to increase awareness, understanding, and inclusivity across campus.

She completed a secondary internship at the Montgomery County Office of Mental Health, where she was responsible for conducting data analysis on mental health and crisis data from Montgomery Conty and the surrounding communities. Ijahnae created spreadsheets on her findings and an overview of her data analysis to be considered for new initiatives, projects, and research.

Life After GMercyU

After graduating from GMercyU in May 2025, Ijahnae began her role as a Graduate Resident Director at Villanova University. She is also obtaining her Master of Science in Environmental Science degree.