Athens Reporter

Ryan Robinett, an alumnus of East Jackson Comprehensive High School (EJCHS), shared his journey from high school to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and now as a Ph.D. student at the University of Chicago. His story highlights how experiences and education at EJCHS prepared him for future challenges.

In 2019, Tropical Storm Imelda caused significant damage across Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. Robinett responded by leading a disaster relief team in Texas through his church. Utilizing Spanish skills acquired at EJCHS, he assisted a family with rebuilding efforts.

"Every class that I took at East Jackson was useful," Robinett stated. He emphasized the importance of language classes in his education: "Our world language department was extremely strong and helpful."

Robinett met his wife Candace Ng while attending university in Massachusetts; she studied at Brandeis University while he pursued computer science at MIT. Their relationship further showcased his linguistic abilities when he learned to read vows in her native language for their wedding.

During high school, Robinett co-founded East Jackson Student Leadership and initiated peer tutoring programs. He participated in various extracurricular activities including band, where he played on the drumline.

"Band was one of the most important outlets that I had during my time at East Jackson," said Robinett.

His passion for math and science led him to apply to MIT during his junior year upon recommendation from a band mentor. After graduating as valedictorian in 2015, he moved to Cambridge to begin studies at MIT.

Initially interested in biotechnology, Robinett shifted focus after working on oncology research projects involving computational biology tools. This experience prompted him to transition into mathematics and computer science.

"During these biology projects, I realized that the mathematical and software tools...were actually doing a poor job," Robinett explained.

At Lincoln Laboratory, he contributed to creating an Artificial Neural Network comparable in size to the human brain—an achievement inspiring further academic pursuits.

In 2019, Robinett received a grant from the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program for developing software tools analyzing cellular spaces—a project continuing today as part of his doctoral research.

"What I do consists of me crying...writing code," joked Robinett about current endeavors supported by spouse encouragement.

Reflecting on educational foundations laid at EJCHS: "I had great teachers all-around...everything that I did...prepared me for a beautiful thing."