Scholarship

Driven by a passion for helping children, Promise Robinson enrolled in kinesiology Associate Professor Priscila Tamplain’s motor development course shortly after transferring to UTA. The class changed the trajectory of Robinson’s college career—and her future.

“It was a defining experience,” says Robinson, who soon joined Dr. Tamplain’s research team. “I have always loved kids, and exploring ways to assist them in overcoming their struggles is extremely gratifying.”

The recent exercise science graduate has since devoted herself to seeking solutions for children with movement disabilities.

In summer 2022, Robinson was selected for the McNair Scholars Program, which allows traditionally under-represented juniors and seniors to conduct research alongside a UTA faculty member. She also participated in the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program and served as a research assistant in Tamplain’s Motor Development Lab.

These opportunities earned Robinson invitations to present at the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity Conference in Toronto and the National Collegiate Honors Council Conference in Dallas. This summer, she completed a prestigious internship at Michigan State University’s Sensorimotor Development Lab.

Generous support from thoughtful UTA donors has played a pivotal role in her success.

Robinson has earned more than a dozen scholarships, including the Advancing Healthcare in North Texas Endowed Scholarship, awarded to promising exercise science or nursing undergraduates. The endowment was established with a $1 million gift from North Texas Specialty Physicians.

She also received the Kathryn Head Scholarship for her work as a McNair Scholar. The award honors the late Kathryn Head, who directed UTA’s SOAR Learning Services for over 30 years.

“I’m sincerely grateful to all the donors who made my UTA education a reality,” Robinson says. “I’m so thankful for the opportunities that have come thus far because of their generosity and care.”

Beyond the laboratory and classroom, she served as president of the Society of Kinesiology Scholars and as the kinesiology representative for the Health Innovation Constituency Council. She plans to pursue a PhD in motor development focusing on infants and young children.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be speaking about my research at conferences or considering a career as a motor development researcher,” Robinson says. “UTA truly is a place that transforms lives.”