Staff: Quinten Robinson

When Quinten Robinson became a graduate admissions specialist for the East Carolina University Graduate School in 2021, it was music to his ears.

The Havelock native had graduated from ECU’s School of Music just a few years earlier and felt he could bring his experiences as a student with him to his new role.

“When I first started here, I was on the younger side in our office. I was kind of the freshest out of school,” he said. “I still knew how things ran on the student side, and they liked having my perspective. We were making different decisions, like how we can edit our applications and things like that. So just being able to leverage that experience has been helpful in our office.”

He said ECU is the perfect place for graduate school.

Quinten Robinson graduated from ECU with a Bachelor of Music in music performance in 2017 and still enjoys performing today. (Contributed photo)

“I really enjoy how this is such a large university, yet it manages to achieve a feeling of closeness that you don’t see at other institutions,” Robinson said. “I really enjoy that here, and I think other people would appreciate that as well. They don’t want to be seen as just a number. They want that one-on-one attention, and I think this is a place where they can get it.”

He said no one should be intimidated about applying to graduate school, but with four years working at ECU, he does have some advice for those filling out an application.

“The biggest thing is just to make sure you read thoroughly. Just pay attention to the details.” he said. “I say that first but also don’t be afraid to ask questions. That’s honestly what we’re here to do. We’re always going to help. There are no wrong questions or bad questions.”

He said he values most the lasting relationships he’s built with the students he supports.

“I’ll still get emails from them just asking for a little help on finding something,” Robinson said. “It’s nice to have that relationship with people and have them still thinking of me, even though I feel like I play a relatively minor part in their whole journey here. I like to be a resource for people. That’s something I’ve always enjoyed.”

He said those he works with in the Graduate School offices in the Mendenhall Building make the job enjoyable.

“Everyone’s great to work with, and I really enjoy how we always make time to come together,” he said, adding that the office potlucks offer great food and camaraderie. “I enjoy just having that relationship with everyone and being comfortable enough to do that. I’ve been in environments where we didn’t really have any of that. Everyone was sort of doing their own thing, but it’s nice to be able to come together here.”

Robinson developed an early passion for music from his mother’s love of jazz. Though it waned a bit in elementary school, he came back to it in middle school.

“I was interested in track, but then I ended up getting asthma, so that went out the window,” he said. “My mom said, ‘Well, you need to do something so you’ll play in the band.’”

He started playing the trumpet, but in his quest to get a clarinet for Christmas, he sent his mother a clip of an episode of “SpongeBob SquarePants” in which SpongeBob plays a paper clarinet.

“It showed up under the tree, and I taught myself how to play over Christmas break,” he said. “I really just dove into it. I had so much energy to learn.”

Robinson became a member of a tradition-rich music program at Havelock High School under the direction of Jorge Benetiz, a two-time ECU graduate. Following in his footsteps to ECU, Robinson became a member of the Marching Pirates and performed in multiple large ensembles before graduating with a Bachelor of Music in music performance in 2017. He still enjoys playing today, including as part of an orchestra for a recent production of “The Sound of Music” at Lenoir Community College.