Robin Roberts is Southeastern Louisiana University’s most recognizable alumnae. She grew up in Pass Christian, Mississippi, before coming to Southeastern to study communications and play basketball for the Lions. As a student, she worked at KSLU-FM, as a special assignment sports reporter and as sports director at WHMD/WFPR Radio in Hammond. After graduating in 1983, she held sports anchor jobs at TV stations in Biloxi and Hattiesburg, Mississippi, followed by Atlanta and Nashville. From 1990 to 2005, Roberts worked for ESPN as a contributor to "NFL PrimeTime” and host of "SportsCenter."
In 1995, Roberts took a second job, working for ABC News, as a news anchor and feature reporter for “Good Morning America.” In 2005, she was promoted to co-anchor. In the fall of 2005, Roberts anchored a series of memorable reports from her hometown of Pass Christian, Mississippi, which was devastated by Hurricane Katrina.
A few years later, when Roberts was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome, she chronicled her treatment on “GMA.” These reports earned a prestigious Peabody Award in 2012. The Peabody citation credits her for "allowing her network to document and build a public service campaign around her battle with rare disease" and "inspiring hundreds of potential bone marrow donors to register and raising awareness of the need for even more donors."
In 2011, her Lions jersey, No. 21, was retired. In 2014, she was awarded an honorary doctorate at Southeastern’s spring commencement.
Her many awards include:
Everybody's Got Something by
"Regardless of how much money you have, your race, where you live, what religion you follow, you are going through something. Or you already have or you will. As momma always said, "Everybody's got something." So begins beloved Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts's new memoir in which she recounts the incredible journey that's been her life so far, and the lessons she's learned along the way. With grace, heart, and humor, she writes about overcoming breast cancer only to learn five years later that she will need a bone marrow transplant to combat a rare blood disorder, the grief and heartbreak she suffered when her mother passed away, her triumphant return to GMA after her medical leave, and the tremendous support and love of her family and friends that saw her through her difficult times. Following her mother's advice to "make your mess your message," Robin taught a nation of viewers that while it is true that we've all got something -- a medical crisis to face, aging parents to care for, heartbreak in all its many forms --- we've also all got something to give: hope, encouragement, a life-saving transplant or a spirit-saving embrace. As Robin has learned, and what readers of her remarkable story will come to believe as well, it's all about faith, family and friends. And finding out that you are stronger, much stronger, than you think.
From the Heart by
We often hear that success requires pushing the boundaries, coloring outside the lines, stepping on toes, and breaking all the rules. But some rules are so critical they aren't meant to be broken. In this, her first book, perennially popular Good Morning America host Robin Roberts reveals the 7ules that she has always honored on her road to success. Illustrated with stories from her work, her family, and her faith, she explains how deceptively simple maxims like "Never lose sight of the Big Picture" and "Give people the benefit of the doubt" are both deeply meaningful and crucial to happiness and genuine accomplishment. Combined with a good dose of Robin's trademark humor, warmth, and honesty, this book will be required reading for college graduates, GMA fans, and anyone who needs an infusion of sincere inspiration.
My Story, My Song by
Good Morning America viewers have come to know and love Lucimarian Roberts, the 87-year-old mother of co-anchor Robin Roberts. For many, the heartfelt connection began the day Hurricane Katrina blew through the Gulf Coast. They eagerly watched as Robin stood among the remnants of her hometown and talked about her desperate search for her elderly mother, who had ridden out the storm in her Mississippi home. Once she knew that her mother was safe, Robin admitted that she was not surprised to learn that even as the winds howled and floodwaters rose, Lucimarian Roberts sang hymns.For all of her long life, Lucimarian Tolliver Roberts has drawn upon her faith in God for comfort and strength. Even today as she sits down at the piano, she can recite the lyrics to hundreds of hymns and spirituals first learned in her childhood church in Akron, Ohio. In fact, she credits hymns for helping her, a black woman born in 1924, live faithfully through the turbulent times of the Great Depression, segregation, and racial prejudice even as the wife of a U.S. Air Force officer. "Who would have thought that a poor black girl with an alcoholic father would one day end up at Howard University on a scholarship and eventually Chair of the Board of the New Orleans branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta?" she asks with a smile.My Story, My Song brings together the pivotal moments of Lucimarian Roberts' intriguing life with personal reflections from her daughter Robin. "God has brought the most wonderful and sometimes the most unlikely people, of all ages and races, into my life to encourage and guide me on this spiritual journey of life," Mrs. Roberts says with a brightness in her eyes. Clearly, she is still singing her song.