TROY News Center

Calling on her father’s dinner-table wisdom remembered from her childhood, Congresswoman Martha Roby told Troy University students on Wednesday that they could achieve anything they wanted to achieve as long as they were willing to work for it.

The event was presented by the University’s Motivating and Instilling Sophisticated Students into an Elite Society (M.I.S.S. Elite), a student organization seeking to help students realize their full potential through building self-confidence, molding leadership skills and emphasizing good character and proper personal appearance.

“I grew up in a home where my dad said often around the dinner table, ‘You can be anything you want to be.’ I felt really empowered by those words,” Rep. Roby said. “It never occurred to me that I would face challenges because I was a woman. I believed that I could be anything I wanted to be because my dad told me so.”

It was that determination that has seen Roby successfully transition from the desire to rise to the top in the music industry to becoming a lawyer to her current role of public servant.

“We make all of these plans and God just kind of laughs,” she said. “Life is going to provide you with a lot of twists and turns. Life truly is about finding balance. Women don’t have to choose between having a career and having a family. You can have both. You need to have a good support system of friends and family in place and you can’t be unwilling to ask for help.”

During her first semester of law school at Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law, Roby met her future husband, Riley. The two decided that, once married, they would make their home in Montgomery and serve their community.

Roby entered public service in Montgomery, winning election to the City Council by “outworking the other candidates” on the campaign trail. In 2010, she was elected to serve Alabama’s second Congressional District. However, the road to Washington was littered with plenty of skeptics along the way, Roby recalled.

“When the opportunity for me to run for Congress presented itself, I heard from a lot of people who were skeptical that I was doing the right thing,” Rep. Roby said. “Whatever path you choose, you have to believe in yourself. Along with that belief you have to be able to execute. You have to be able to say, ‘I don’t care who is telling that I can’t succeed,’ and you have to be willing to work hard to reach your goals. It isn’t just going to fall in your lap; it takes hard work and determination.”

Congresswoman Martha Roby responds to a question from a Troy University student during Wednesday morning’s presentation “Equipping Today’s Women for Life’s Journey.” The women’s leadership event was presented by the University’s Motivating and Instilling Sophisticated Students into an Elite Society (M.I.S.S. Elite), a student organization seeking to help students realize their full potential through building self-confidence, molding leadership skills and emphasizing good character and proper personal appearance.

Congresswoman Martha Roby was named an honorary member of Troy University’s M.I.S.S. Elite Society and presented with a t-shirt from organization officers on Wednesday following her presentation “Equipping Today’s Women for Life’s Journey” on the Troy Campus. From left to right are: M.I.S.S. Elite President Tierra Belser, Rep. Roby, Troy University First Lady Mrs. Janice Hawkins, and M.I.S.S. Elite Vice President Tiffany Slater.

The Troy University Alumni Association has launched its annual “Membership in May” campaign, an effort to keep more alumni engaged with University as a part of the Association, according to Alumni Affairs Director Faith Ward.

The Association currently serves alumni through 52 chapters in the United States and two international chapters located in China and Russia, Ward said.

“In 2012, Troy University celebrated 125 years of service to students in Alabama, the United States and around the world, and we look forward with anticipation to reaching even greater heights this year,” Ward said. “This is the perfect time for our alumni to celebrate our treasured past while looking forward to a bright future.”

The cost of an Alumni Association membership is: $25 per person annually or $500 for lifetime single membership and $750 lifetime couple membership. Payment plans are available for lifetime memberships. A free gift will be given to those alumni joining in the month of May. This year’s goal is to reach 12,000 dues-paying members.

Association membership entitles alumni to benefits such as admission to all alumni tailgating events, free subscription to the Troy University alumni magazine, opportunities to save on purchases through the Saving Connection and discounted automobile, home and renters’ insurance rates through Liberty Mutual.

“Alumni dues are a vital source of support for University programs and scholarships for deserving students,” Ward said. “I invite all alumni to become active members of the Alumni Association, and I hope our alumni will encourage their friends and family members to do the same.”

For additional information, contact the Troy University Office of Alumni Affairs at 334-670-3318 or visit the website at www.troy.edu/alumni. Dues can be paid online.

DOTHAN—Troy University will present a summer camp in June at the Dothan Campus that aims to inspire local girls to excel in mathematics and science.

“Mathematics, the Queen of Sciences” will be held June 10-13 at the Dothan Campus for girls in 7th-9th grade.  Admission is free and open to any girls with a strong interest in math or science; however the camp is limited to only 20 participants. Girls will be selected based on submitted essays, evaluation of recent grades and teacher recommendations.

The deadline for registration has been extended through Friday, May 3.

For more information about how to apply contact Dr. Vijaya Gompa, professor of mathematics at the TROY Dothan Campus, at (334) 983-6556 or  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

In addition to enrichment activities designed to boost the girls’ math knowledge, the camp will also give girls the chance to meet with and hear from women currently working in the fields of science, technology and math, including presenters from the Marshall Space Flight Center and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

“This camp will create an atmosphere in which girls can dream big and plan for a brighter future,” Dr. Gompa said. “The mission of this camp is to inspire young women to consider careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.”

 
Funding for the camp is provided by TROY and the Mathematical Association of America Tensor Foundation.

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TROY – Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley will provide the keynote address to Troy University’s largest-ever spring commencement exercise on May 10.

This spring’s graduating class includes some 915 students who have filed intents to graduate, among those some 825 from the Troy Campus alone. In all, about 650 students representing 27 states and 14 countries will take part in the ceremonies.

Commencement exercises will begin at 10:30 a.m. in Trojan Arena, and will require a ticket for entry. Graduating students will receive instructions on how to obtain tickets for families and friends.

Gov. Bentley was elected Alabama’s 53^rd governor in 2010 on his promise not to accept a salary until the state reached full employment, calculated to be a 5.2 percent unemployment rate. As a result, his administration has keyed on new job creation and has seen a drop from 9.3 percent in January 2011 to 6.9 percent in January 2013. Gov. Bentley surpassed his goal of creating more than 10,000 new jobs for Alabamians in his first year in office. As a result of his efforts and his leadership, more than 17,200 new, future jobs were announced by the end of 2011. In 2012, companies in Alabama announced 20,847 new jobs, bringing the total number of jobs added to more than 38,000 in the first two years of the Administration.

Gov. Bentley has led legislative efforts to increase incentives for new businesses and industry, to protect consumers by controlling the rising cost of homeowners insurance in the state, to reform the state’s pension system and to streamline government services and reduce spending. 

Gov. Bentley is committed to saving Alabama taxpayers $1 billion over the next four years by “right-sizing” state government.

Prior to becoming governor, Dr. Bentley served two terms in the Alabama House of Representatives, serving from District 63. He was born and reared in Shelby County and graduated from the University of Alabama School of Medicine. He established a dermatology practice in Tuscaloosa in 1974, and, under his leadership, Alabama Dermatology Associates grew to become one of the largest such practices in the Southeast.

Gov. Bentley co-chairs the Governor’s Task Force on Prescription Drug Abuse through the National Governor’s Association. He also serves on that organization’s Economic Development and Commerce Commission. He is the incoming chair of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission.

He and his wife of 47 years, Dianne, have four sons and six granddaughters.

Gov. Robert Bentley

Second District Congresswoman Martha Roby will address the skills necessary for women to succeed in today’s world during a presentation at Troy University on May 1.

Presented by the University’s Motivating and Instilling Sophisticated Students into an Elite Society (M.I.S.S. Elite), the program titled “Equipping Today’s Women for Life’s Journey” will be held at 11 a.m. in the Trojan Center Ballrooms on the Troy Campus. The event is free and open to the public.

Through a variety of seminars, discussions and campus and community involvement, M.I.S.S. Elite seeks to help students realize their full potential by building self-confidence, molding leadership skills and emphasizing good character and proper personal appearance.

Roby will speak from personal experiences about the challenges associated with balancing career and family, as well as attributes that have proven helpful to her as she has navigated her life’s journey.

“This is a unique opportunity to showcase and expose the gifted and talented women of the M.I.S.S. Elite Society,” said Dr. LaKerri Mack, Assistant Professor of Political Science at TROY and advisor to the organization. “Given M.I.S.S. Elite’s mission of motivating and instilling sophisticated students into an elite society, Congresswoman Martha Roby is the epitome of an elite woman and we are most delighted to have her as our guest. As for the women of Troy University, she is best suited to equip them for their life journey.”

A Montgomery native, Roby was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010 and now sits on the prestigious House Armed Services Committee, the House Committee on Agriculture and the House Education and the Workforce Committee.

Janice Hawkins, Troy University First Lady, said Roby’s appearance provides an excellent opportunity for students to learn from the first-hand experiences of a woman who is dedicated to both her family and to public service.

“We are very proud of the impact that the M.I.S.S. ELITE Society is having on Troy University and we are excited to hear from Rep. Roby, who has had a tremendous impact on her community, state and nation,” Mrs. Hawkins said. “I know those in attendance on May 1 will benefit from Rep. Roby’s insights and find many to be applicable in their own lives.”

Prior to her election to Congress, Roby served as a member of the Montgomery City Council. She holds a bachelor’s degree from New York University and received her law degree from Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in 2001. Prior to her entry into public service, she practiced law at Copeland, Franco, Screws & Gill, P.A. and remains a member in good standing with the Alabama and Mississippi bar associations.

Roby is married to Riley Roby and the couple has two children, Margaret and George. They are members of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Montgomery, where they are involved in various ministries.

U.S. Rep. Martha Roby