Meet Robin Cunningham
Hometown: Hudson
Year: Senior
Major: Broad Field Social Studies
Robin Cunningham joined the U.S. Air Force in 2003 and has served overseas deployments in Kyrgyzstan, Iraq, Kuwait and Jordan. After transitioning to full-time Air Force Reserves based in Minneapolis, he began taking classes at UW-River Falls in 2014, something he had never pictured himself doing when he was a teenager. After starting out in business, he discovered his true passion in broad field social studies.
“The experience you get in the military just takes you out of your world,” Cunningham said. “You meet people from all over the country, then all over the world, and you see how interconnected they all are. And I think social studies allows you to see that.”
Cunningham said it was through mentoring other service members that he discovered his love of teaching. He plans to graduate in 2027 and pursue a second career teaching high school social studies.
Cunningham enjoys spending Veterans Day visiting school events where students are invited to ask questions of veteran panelists. It’s also a great chance to connect with other veterans.
“There's always that instant friendship and camaraderie based on the fact that you served,” Cunningham said. “You always find something you had in common, whether it was a duty station, a deployment location, training or exercise, and you think, ‘What a small world.’”
Read Christy and Caleb's stories. Learn more about Veterans Services at UW-River Falls.
Veteran Services
Monday-Friday 7:45 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
