quidproBetsy Phillips was working as Chinquapin’s beloved and longtime fundraiser when she introduced Rebecca Loredo Robinson (‘11) to the school. At the time, Rebecca was a sixth grader at Lanier Middle School. Rebecca says she hadn’t gotten too attached to Lanier and her mom was open to the idea of trying out something new, so she applied and was given a spot in Chinquapin’s seventh grade class. This was the first year that sixth graders were on Chinquapin’s campus, so Rebecca was one of 40 or so new students that year.
She recalls that she didn’t think she’d stay a Burr for as long as she did: she wasn’t forced to attend and she thought she might eventually end up at Lamar High School, which was much closer to home. But, she said, “Bill and Kathy were amazing and you don’t say no to Mom and Dad!” For Rebecca, they were a huge draw to stay and graduate from Chinquapin. Plus she’d grown close to her classmates.
As she made her way through high school, she got to know many of the upperclassmen, and she saw her (positive) trajectory to college. She remembers an instant connection with visiting Chinquapin alumni like Michelle Nasser (‘95) and David Medina (‘75), who left their mark on her. “They get it. They’ve been through this, just like me.”
Rebecca felt a similar pull to her classmates with whom she’d grown up while making their way through middle and high school. At graduation, she cried a lot knowing that would be the last time this tight-knit group would be together the way they were through school. But she knew this was a family, that each Chinquapin alum “has the other’s back”.
She wasn’t gone from Chinquapin for too long, though. After graduating from Texas A&M with a degree in marketing, she found herself back on campus working for a couple of years in fundraising. She loved being back, rebuilding community with faculty, and sharing the Chinquapin story with everyone who would listen.
Now, married and working for the Dallas Regional Chamber, she has a chance to give back to the school and the community that did so much for her. Just like the alumni who established the Alumni Association Scholarship Fund, Rebecca sees these scholarships, which are granted based on need and merit, as an investment in the future. Her good friend [and Chinquapin board member], Sam Bowen, puts it this way: “When you invest in a Chinquapin student, you see the outcome, you see the win.” Rebecca is a super appreciative alumna, and she is representative of our alumni who know from first-hand experience that putting their money into a Chinquapin graduate will make a positive change in society. It’s that simple.
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