Community colleges often tell students that they can “start here and go anywhere” – and that’s exactly what Rye Robinson, former SGA President and Scott Scholar at Wake Tech, has done. Rye graduated from high school a year early, in nearby Fuquay-Varina, and came to Wake Tech because it was close to home and cost effective. 

He quickly immersed himself in the college community. He was elected president of the Student Government Association and joined several student clubs: Sigma Alpha Pi, the National Society of Leadership and Success; the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa Society; and the Debate Club. He also worked part-time at Wake Tech’s IT help desk. “I got a top-notch education and met people from all the different campuses and organizations,” he says. “Who could ask for more?”  

Rye graduated from Wake Tech with two associate degrees and transferred to NC State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Business Administration/Information Technology. His first job out of college required a big move – to the Big Apple! He’s now an Associate Solutions Architect at Amazon Web Services in New York, and he credits Wake Tech with opening his eyes to the world of IT. “Wake Tech changed my life,” Rye says. “I really appreciate all the support that has and continues to come from everyone at Wake Tech. I’m really lucky to have been a part of such an awesome community.”