Earning Degree Has Been Journey of Challenges and Celebrations for TCTC Graduate Erecka Robinson
Press Release
Date: August 4, 2025
Contact: lgarrett@tctc.edu
Earning Degree Has Been Journey of Challenges and Celebrations for TCTC Graduate Erecka Robinson
PENDLETON --- Determined is a word those who know Erecka Robinson often use to describe her.
Thirteen years after beginning her education at Tri-County Technical College, she walked the stage August 4 to receive her Administrative Office Technology degree and fulfill a personal goal she set back in 2012.
It’s been a journey of challenges and celebrations, said Robinson, a kidney transplant recipient, who will turn 50 in December. At age 37, during her second semester at TCTC in 2012, the married mother of three boys was diagnosed with kidney disease, requiring her to drop out of college. “I realized I needed a break from class and didn’t return. It was a personal goal of mine to come back to TCTC and finish what I started. I wanted to show my boys when you start something, you finish it.”
Several years after her diagnosis she required dialysis and was placed on the national kidney transplant list. She was later diagnosed with stage five renal failure.
July 21, 2025, marked her eighth ‘kidney versary,’ the day she received the call in 2017 that changed her life and sent her on a mission to help others who are living with PKD, or Polycystic Kidney Disease, a genetic disease characterized by the growth of numerous cysts in the kidneys, which can lead to kidney damage and eventual kidney failure and the need for a kidney transplant.
Eight years post-transplant, she works as a PKD patient advocate for NxStage, helping individuals navigate the complexities of kidney disease, particularly after a diagnosis or when considering treatment options.
“Patients appreciate hearing from someone who has experienced what they are living with,” said Robinson.
She meets with those diagnosed with PKD and are awaiting transplants and learning how to take care of themselves through home therapy like Robinson elected to do. “For five years I self-administered IV PD fluids four times a day for 20 minutes at a time seven days a week,” said Robinson.
After being placed on the national registry for a kidney transplant, she researched transplant facilities and chose Duke University Medical Center.
She was on the transplant list for five years when she received her first call for a possible match. “It was in 2016, but it didn’t work out,” she said. Within six weeks, she received a second call, which also didn’t come to fruition.
Months later, when she received a third call, she was experiencing cold symptoms and had to decline because of health reasons.
The fourth call came on July 20, 2017. “I received the call that I was ready for a transplant and that same day, I went in for the procedure,” she said.
“After I was prepped for surgery, when I saw the team coming with the transplant cooler, I thanked God. After the surgery I had so much energy. I decided I was going to give back to the kidney community,” she said.
Robinson does so by being a coupon clipper when she redeems coupons to purchase toiletries and necessities for dialysis patients and takes them to two centers in Anderson in under resourced areas.
In 2020 she became a kidney advocate and began working for NxStage.
In 2024 she returned to TCTC to finish her degree. “I’m doing this for me.”
There were times this spring when she wondered - again - if she would finish her degree. Her mother had triple by-pass surgery and Robinson was traveling to Spartanburg every day, while maintaining her school schedule, homework, along with her work and home schedule.
In March her mother passed away. “My instructors were very understanding but I still was overwhelmed and considered taking a break this summer and finishing the degree in the fall,” said Robinson.
“But after a lot of thought, I said I will finish this degree now. I went through a lot to get here. I didn’t want to come back to classes,” she said, but she persevered and enrolled in five classes during the summer and earned a 4.0 GPA. During her time at TCTC, she maintained her status on the dean’s or president’s lists. “I’m proud of myself,” she said.
“In addition to being determined, Erecka is conscientious about her work and one of her strengths is that she doesn’t hesitate to ask for help,” said Dr. Carolyn Fleming, Business Technology department head and Robinson’s advisor. “Because of this, she does exceptional work, always going over and above.”
Robinson was selected to participate in the first AOT STARS (Student Admins Rise Showcase) event which showcased the accomplishments of AOT majors within the S.C. Technical College System from the Midlands to the Upstate. Students benefited from topics by industry experts in the field, networking with other students and faculty, and receiving expert advice on developing workforce readiness skills.
Students also demonstrate their achievement and presentation skills through oral and poster presentations, as well as displayed works such as timed writing assessments.
Deniece Cantu met Robinson in an AOT class and was also chosen to participate in the STARS event. The two have a lot in common – both are married with children and returning to college while maintaining a job. “We became friends and we would talk and text outside of class,” said Cantu. “I learned about her story and she would stop by the office to talk about assignments,” said Cantu, who is the administrative assistant for TCTC’s Bridge to Clemson office and received her AOT degree in the spring. “I know Erecka’s mom’s passing took a toll on her so I was surprised to see her walk through my office door this summer. I was excited to see her back. I admire her drive to complete her degree.”
She participates in lobby days at dialysis centers and serves on the Patient Advisory board. The week before graduation Robinson traveled to Boston to attend an NxStage in-person Lobby Day.
“We only have one life,” she said. “The transplant changed my life in every way. This job is my passion -- I would do it for free. I want to give back in any way I can.”
About Tri-County Technical College
Tri-County Technical College, a public two-year community and technical college serving Anderson, Oconee and Pickens Counties in South Carolina, enrolls more than 9,000 students annually and offers more than 70 major fields of study, including computer technology, industrial electronics, mechatronics, nursing, and university transfer programs. Tri-County boasts the highest student success rate among two-year colleges in the state and ranks in the top one percent nationally for successful student transfers to four-year colleges and universities. To learn more, visit tctc.edu.
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