Former Virginia Peninsula Community College professor Sandra Robertson hasn’t slowed down in retirment. In the past three years alone, she has written more than a dozen books.
And while she knew eventually she would become a writer, she called it “a completely new venture” because of the subject matter.
“(I thought) it was going to be more like marketing or business related,” said Robertson, who taught those subjects at VPCC from 2004-19. “That’s not what God had for me. My direction turned into more self-help.”
Her books include “Childhood Scars: Release from Pain and Healing,” “Relationships: Just a Step Away from the Perfect One,” “Jealousy: The New Cancer,” and “Bullies at the Helm.”
Soon after Robertson left the College, the pandemic hit, leaving her with a lot of free time. Her son soon asked what she was going to do, and mentioned she once wanted to write books. She had helped numerous publishers by critiquing their writings.
Her first step was figuring out what to write about. With a little introspection, and more talks with her son, she had her answer. She had experienced trauma in her life, and even though she was perceived as successful, she thought areas of her spirit needed refinement.
“My son used to always say, ‘Mom, you got two sides. One side, I can predict. The other one, I cannot predict’,” she said, adding she was surprised by the comment.
In addition, she recalled her students saying, “Oh, she woke up on the wrong side of the bed.” She wondered what type of atmosphere she was creating, what was her aura and what was she projecting.
“That’s why the ‘Childhood Scars: Release from Pain to Healing’ came about. I just started re-examining my life,” she said. “I wrote that book to help other people who have had childhood trauma. And then I think just from that, my writing just went into self-help.”
She is working on “A Man in His Power,” which examines male identity, responsibility, and legacy through both biblical and practical lenses.
Every time she writes a book, she thinks it’s her best, but she said her favorite is her first book, “Childhood Scars.”
“That gave (me) the motivation to continue,” she said. “A lot of the books that I’ve written, they are trauma-based, so the framework came from ‘Childhood Scars,’ and then all the other ones (evolved) from that.”
In a way, that is how she ended up teaching, by evolving.
After graduating from high school in Texas, she enrolled in nursing school at Texas Woman’s University, but soon found it wasn’t for her. She enrolled at Houston Community College and earned an associate degree in business. She went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in marketing and business administration from Florida Southern College, her MBA (with specializations in marketing management and human resources management) from Regent University and her doctorate in education (with a specialization in community college leadership) from Walden University.
Being a college president appealed to her, but her experience at Regent led her down the teaching path.
“I was very in awe at the caliber of the professors that I had at Regent University,” she said. “I learned so much, not only about business, but about servanthood, serving your community, serving your students. And they just taught such great biblical principles that that motivated me to want to follow those footsteps, and I did. That college really equipped me to be the professor that I was.
“Regent University just taught us how the culmination of what a professor should be, and I just followed in those footsteps.”
She started at VPCC in 2000 as an adjunct professor before being hired full time four years later. During her tenure, she also was program head and program chair, as well as teaching many courses.
“I was probably better known for the marketing end,” she said.
Among the assignments she gave her students were creating business plans, marketing plans, comparative analysis, and advertising for local area small businesses. She and the students enjoyed those projects.
“They gave us a chance to network with a lot of the area business leaders,” she said.
She also enjoyed the relationships she had with her colleagues, saying the College created a family atmosphere.
“We really connected as a faculty,” she said. “More than anything, is the collaboration amongst faculty in different organizations, making the student world a better place. I miss that synergy amongst my colleagues and sharing different creative ideas to make our student life the best life that they can have at a community college.”
She lives in Hampton, less than five minutes from the College, with her husband of 43 years. They have one son and one granddaughter. She stays connected to the College by attending events, including the annual scholarship banquet.
In addition to her writing, she is a motivational speaker and leads self-help workshops, some pertaining to her books.
“And just doing the things that authors do, making public appearances … and more public speaking,” she said. “I liked at the College that I had an opportunity to do a lot of workshops. I want to continue to do that as well.”