Meet Our Staff: Robin Duncan, Parent Empowerment Fellow
The next staff member up on the blog is Robin Duncan, our Parent Empowerment Liason from the NEEA AmeriCorps program. Robin fills an important role for our program, serving the families of Brookside Play by connecting them with resources in the community.
Robin joined us in February of this year, and has jumped right in to the the activity of Brookside! Robin has worked in many roles over the years, working most recently with IU Health Clinics, where she helped connect patients with necessary services. She also has a passion for working with women in reentry, which she discovered while working at VOA in their women's program. After some time off, Robin sought out a new position that allows her to use her gifts to serve others. We are lucky to have her!
When Robin isn't connecting with parents and families from Brookside Community Play, you can find her doing what she loves most; spending time with her children and grandchildren.
We asked Robin some questions to get to know her better, and we think you will love getting to know her too! Keep reading to learn more about our newest staff member.
Where did you grow up? Westside Indy “Haughville”
What is your role at Brookside Community Play? Parent Empowerment Liaison. I help connect families with resources in the community that will help to address their specific needs.
What aspect of your role do you enjoy the most? I love being able to provide our families with support, and locate resources that will best serve them.
What do you find most challenging about your job? The most challenging part of my job is building trust with the families that I work with and learning about their struggles.
Describe what you were like in elementary school. I was an overachiever. I was always the tallest student in my class, so I tried to distract from my height by being the smartest and the quickest to answer questions.
What is your favorite sport? Basketball. I played in high school, and was very good. I even had a verbal commitment to play for Pat Summit in Tennessee!
What is your favorite activity to do locally? I love going to poetry reads. RAE & Jaunary York are my favorite local poets.
If you were a crayon, what color would you be? I would be yellow, the color of the sun. The color yellow reflects my personality, which is bright and happy.
What is your favorite childhood memory? My favorite memories are of the years I spent my summer vacation driving to Loveland, Colorado with my grandmother. We would stop at rodeos and other tourist attractions along the way!
Do you collect anything? I collect Marilyn Monroe pictures.
If you had to describe yourself as an animal, which one would you be? I would be a robin bird. If I were a robin, I could fly around the world and my name would stay the same!
If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be? Pizza and fries.
What is your favorite family tradition? My family and I play games every Wednesday night! We always have so much fun and I love playing games!
What do you enjoy most about working on the Near Eastside? I appreciate the unity of the community and commitment to making the community better.
What was your favorite toy as a kid? Jacks. It was my favorite game to play growing up because it was the game my mother and I would play together.
If you could have any superpower, which would you choose? I would choose to be able to see the future, so I could prevent tragedy before it happens.
What was your childhood nickname? Nicky. My middle name is Nicole.
Can you play any instruments? No, but I've always wanted to play the drums.
What is your favorite outdoor activity? Swimming, preferably in the ocean.
Share a personal fact that no one would ever guess about you. I am terrified of mice, like jump on the desk scared. I can't stand them.
We love the energy and compassion that Robin brings to our team. Thank you, Robin, for sharing. We'll be sure to never bring mice into the office!
That rounds out the final member of our team. We hope you know the Brookside Play team a little better, and had as much fun reading these posts as we did writing them! We are honored to work in and serve such a vibrant community as Brookside. Thank you for following along with us!