Robby graduated from UCLA as the valedictorian of the School of Arts and Architecture. He went on to get his MFA from the University of Montana. He also was a recipient of a Fulbright Grant to visit Israel to trace back his family’s history post-holocaust. This trip, coupled with his Jewish and gay identities, inspired his book, “Jesse Garon Writes a Love Letter”, which was published in 2015. An accomplished writer, in addition to his book he has published numerous poems, short stories, and essays, which have awarded Robby a series of grants and prizes.
In 2011, Robby was named the national winner of Discovered Voices Award for poetry. He currently is completing his Ph.D. at the University of Georgia. At UGA he also serves as the Assistant Director of First-year Composition working with all students from various backgrounds, helping improve their writing skills. He has taught writing courses at the collegiate level since his time at Montana in 2009. To top it off, to pay his way through grad school Robby became a baker and pastry chef.
Advice to students and young alumni:
“Give yourself permission to fail (a lot). Because we live in a society that often defines itself by success, we rarely learn to take chances, grow, and make peace with our mistakes. I owe my successes, from my book (three years of rejections) to my partner (four years of dating rejection), to learning to accept failure as inevitable. Those with the resiliency to use their missteps to advance themselves are infinitely more prepared to handle anything in this world than the rest of us.”