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Thomas Robles

@tomrobles

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🎓 Higher ed leadership & student success
🌱 The path to a college presidency
💙 Elisa’s husband • Theo’s dad
↓ Explore my work & connect

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Highlanders in the Vines was one for the books! 🍇💙💛

What an incredible afternoon in Temecula wine country! We had a full house of Highlanders from across Southern California come together for great conversations, new connections, and a shared love for UC Riverside.

A special thank you to Ponte Winery for hosting us at its beautiful Vineyard Pavilion and helping make this gathering so memorable!

We were also honored to hear from Dr. Caroline Roper and Dr. Linda Walling of UCR’s College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences (CNAS), who shared fascinating insights into groundbreaking research helping protect grapevines and other crops from disease. Thank you to our speakers and to the UCR colleges and schools represented for helping us stay connected to the incredible work happening on campus.

Most importantly, thank you to every Highlander who joined us, our dedicated regional alumni network leaders, and the UCR Alumni Engagement team for making this event such a success!

Missed this one? Don’t let the next one pass you by! 👀

Graduation isn’t the end of your Highlander journey. Whether you’re looking to reconnect with old friends, grow your professional network, or get involved in your community, there’s a place for you in the Highlander family.

Explore upcoming events and connect with your local UCR alumni network through the link in our bio.

Once a Highlander, always a Highlander! 🤞🐻

#UCRAlumni #HighlanderForLife #UCRiverside #HighlandersInTheVines #UCRAA taken in Ponte Winery by @tomrobles

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3 days ago

Tonight was Week 6 of the Fountain Valley Citizens’ Academy, and we had the opportunity to go behind the scenes with the Fountain Valley Police Department! 🚔

We learned about the different divisions, watched an impressive K-9 demonstration, and even toured the temporary holding cells beneath the station.

But the most meaningful moment for me was getting to shake the hand of the police chief, Craig Heredia, and one of the officers who helped save my son’s life just a few weeks ago. It was a special opportunity to personally thank someone who made such a difference for my family. ❤️

A heartfelt thank you to the men and women of the Fountain Valley Police Department for your service, dedication, and commitment to our community. Grateful to call Fountain Valley home!

#FountainValley #FountainValleyPD #CitizensAcademy taken in Fountain Valley, California by @tomrobles

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8 days ago

🚧 Fountain Valley Citizens’ Academy — Week 5: Public Works! 💧

Tonight, our Citizens’ Academy class got an inside look at the people and systems that keep Fountain Valley running every single day.

We were invited to the Fountain Valley City Yard, where we had the opportunity to meet and learn from members of our Public Works team representing Water, Fleet, Streets & Landscape, and Sewer & Storm Drain operations.

One of my biggest takeaways from this academy continues to be just how much work happens behind the scenes to make a city function. From maintaining our streets, parks and public facilities, to keeping City vehicles and equipment operating, delivering safe water, and maintaining the sewer and storm-drain systems beneath our feet — there is an incredible amount of planning, skill and public service involved in things most of us rarely have to think about. Fountain Valley’s Public Works Department is responsible for maintaining and improving much of this essential infrastructure.

I’m grateful to all of the City employees who took the time to show us their equipment, explain their work, answer our questions and give us a better understanding of what it takes to serve a community.

Thank you for all you do, Public Works! 👏🏼

And wherever you live, take a moment to thank your local Public Works professionals. So much of what makes our communities safe, clean, functional and enjoyable places to live is possible because of the work they do every day.

#FountainValley #FVProud #CitizensAcademy #PublicWorks taken in Fountain Valley, California by @tomrobles

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16 days ago

🙋🏽‍♀️ Raise your hand. Step in. Make an impact.

LEAD Summit XV is coming to Cal State San Bernardino on Friday, October 16, and we need YOU to help make it happen.

Every year, LEAD brings together students, educators, families, advocates, and community leaders committed to advancing Latino education and student success. But an event of this size and impact is only possible because of the incredible volunteers who give their time, talents, and energy to our community.

Whether you’re a student, educator, staff member, alum, or community member, there’s a place for you on the LEAD team.

Volunteer opportunities include:
🎟️ Registration & check-in
🤝 Greeters & attendants
🎤 Stage management
🌎 Translation services
🍽️ Food & hospitality services
📍 Conference ushers
…and more!

Volunteer for a few hours or spend the day with us. You’ll build connections, gain hands-on experience, meet fellow community leaders, and help create a welcoming space for everyone who joins us.

This year, we celebrate LEAD Summit XV: 15ñera for Justice — “Divina Juventud: From Innocence to Resistance.”

Be part of the people who make the movement possible.

🔗 SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER:
https://www.csusb.edu/lead-summit/event-volunteers

🔗 Link also available in our bio.

📅 Friday, October 16, 2026
⏰ 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
📍 Cal State San Bernardino

Tag someone who should volunteer with you and share this post with your students, colleagues, friends, and community!

#LEADXV #LEADSummit #CSUSB taken in CSUSB by @tomrobles

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17 days ago

What a meaningful weekend with the UCR Alumni Association Board of Directors.

I left our annual retreat feeling grateful, energized, and even more honored to serve alongside people who care so deeply about UC Riverside and our Highlander community.

Friday evening, we heard from Dr. Monica J. Carson, Professor and Chair of Biomedical Sciences, and Dr. Timothy J. Collins, CEO of UCR Health, about UCR’s commitment to strengthening health care and preparing the workforce needed across Inland Southern California. It was a powerful reminder that UCR’s impact reaches far beyond campus.

Saturday was filled with our Board meeting, thoughtful breakout conversations, and collaboration around how we can continue strengthening alumni engagement. I was especially grateful for the opportunity to lead a session on leveraging social media as infrastructure for alumni engagement. To me, social media is not simply about posting content. It is about creating belonging, telling our stories, strengthening relationships, and helping Highlanders stay connected to one another and to UCR.

My deepest appreciation goes to Jorge Ancona and the entire Alumni Engagement team for creating such a thoughtful, innovative, and genuinely fun space for us to learn, connect, and serve. I genuinely love this team and feel incredibly fortunate to be part of it.

UCR has given me so much, and serving this community is one way I can give back. I am proud of what we are building together and excited for what comes next.

If you are a UCR alum, I encourage you to attend an event, learn more about UC advocacy, volunteer, or get involved with one of our alumni networks or identity chapters. If you’re not sure where to start, message me. I’d be happy to help connect you.

Proud to serve. Grateful for this community. Go Highlanders! 🤞🏼🐻💙💛

#UCR #alumni taken in UC Riverside by @tomrobles

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18 days ago

🌼✨ LEAD Summit XV is Here. ✨🌼
15ñera for Justice: Divina Juventud – From Innocence to Resistance

📅 Friday, October 16, 2026
⏰ 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM
📍 Santos Manuel Student Union – South
🎓 California State University, San Bernardino

This year marks 15 years of collective vision, scholarship, and activism.

The LEAD Summit 15ñera is more than an anniversary. It is a coming of age ceremony for a movement.

Rooted in the cultural tradition of the quinceañera and illuminated by the spirit of Día de los Muertos, this year’s theme — “Divina Juventud: From Innocence to Resistance” — honors both remembrance and renewal. We celebrate the educators, organizers, and visionaries who paved the way, while uplifting the sacred fire of youth rising to defend democracy, truth, and justice.

This summit is a living ofrenda.
A space where scholarship dances with art.
Where activism speaks through ceremony.
Where education is practiced con conciencia.

Through powerful panels, featured speakers, cultural performances, altars of remembrance, and community rituals, LEAD Summit XV invites educators, students, advocates, artists, and organizers to:

🔥 Rise
🌼 Reflect
🎶 Rejoice
✊ Resist
🌱 Reimagine

In a time when truth is endangered and democracy feels fragile, we ask:

• What does it mean to grow up in this moment?
• How do we transform grief into collective power?
• What new forms of justice emerge when we center the brilliance and courage of youth?

The 15ñera for Justice is not just a commemoration. It is a declaration:

We have come of age.
Innocence has given way to insight.
Resistance is our collective rite of passage.
Ni muertos ni vencidos — we rise.

Save the date. Comment “LEAD” for the registration link🔗

#LEADSummitXV #15ñeraForJustice #DivinaJuventud #EducacionConConciencia #CSUSB taken in Cal State University San Bernardino by @tomrobles

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19 days ago

You are officially invited to an experience you do not want to miss. 🙌🏽

Join us for LEAD Summit XV on Friday, October 16 at Cal State San Bernardino as we celebrate 15 years of bringing together students, educators, community leaders, advocates, and changemakers from across the Inland Empire and beyond.

This is more than a conference. It’s a space to connect, learn, celebrate our culture, hear powerful stories, build community, and be inspired by people who are working to create change.

Whether you’re a student, educator, community member, or someone who simply believes in the power of education and leadership — there is a place for you at LEAD.

📍 Cal State San Bernardino
📅 Friday, October 16
⏰ 8:00 AM–2:00 PM
🎟️ FREE registration
🚗 FREE parking

Bring your students. Bring your colleagues. Bring your friends. Bring your familia.

Don’t just hear about LEAD Summit XV afterward — come experience it with us.

Register today and we’ll see you at LEAD (link in bio):
https://csusb.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_7Om9LB0gdfY2IwC

#LEAD2026 #LEADSummit #LatinoEducation #LatinoLeadership #CSUSB taken in CSUSB by @tomrobles

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a month ago

🎙️ Today, IECN’s Manny Sandoval and Denise Berver recorded their respective episodes of the SBVC Centennial Podcast at KVCR Public Media, joining a select group of 25 guests invited to reflect on the people, moments and movements that have shaped San Bernardino Valley College during its first 100 years — and what may define its next century.

Manny shared his full-circle journey from studying Radio Broadcasting at SBVC and submitting his first IECN article as a sophomore to later returning to Valley College as a faculty member teaching in the Film Department. Denise reflected on an equally powerful multigenerational connection to SBVC, with her grandmother, mother, Denise herself and her son each having graduated from and/or worked at the college across generations.

A special thank you to SBVC Centennial Podcast host Thomas Robles and the team at KVCR Public Media for creating space to preserve these stories. Both episodes are expected to be released in October as SBVC continues celebrating a century of education, opportunity and community in the Inland Empire. taken in San Bernardino, California by @tomrobles

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a month ago

Please help me wish a very Happy Birthday to my lovely little sister! I am so immensely proud of you, @penguinpimp! 🐧🎉🎂🎈🎊 by @tomrobles

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2 months ago

Really enjoyed spending today with so many fellow Highlanders at the UCR Alumni Leaders Retreat.

It was just nice to see everyone, catch up, meet some new faces, and spend a few hours talking about how we can be better leaders and better serve our alumni communities.

I especially enjoyed Tamra Simpson’s conversation around board culture and hearing from Tracy Telliard about where alumni engagement is headed this year.

And a big thank you to Tracy for giving me the opportunity to help lead part of today’s conversation. Luis Fajardo and I facilitated a DISC activity around personality, strengths, and the different ways we each show up as leaders. I really enjoyed hearing everyone’s perspectives and seeing how much personality was in the room once people started identifying their DISC styles 😂

Days like today are a good reminder of why I enjoy being involved with UCR Alumni in the first place. Good people, good conversations, and a shared love for UCR.

Excited for the year ahead. Always proud to be a Highlander. 💙💛🤞🏼🐻

#UCRAlumni #UCRAA #HighlanderPride taken in UCR Alumni & Visitors Center by @tomrobles

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2 months ago

We have been spending a lot of time today looking back on our wedding, and I wanted to share a little more from one of the happiest days of our lives.

This video gives a longer look at the ceremony and reception, and honestly, one of my favorite parts is seeing so many familiar faces throughout it. Our wedding was so special because of the people who surrounded us with so much love that day.

There are moments in this video that make me laugh, moments that make me emotional, and so many little things that Elisa and I did not even get to see while everything was happening.

To everyone who celebrated with us, thank you for being part of such an important day in our lives. Looking back a year later, we are just as grateful for all of you.

And if anyone wants to see even more, our full wedding video is up on YouTube. We would love for you to relive the day with us.

(YouTube link is in my IG/Facebook story!)

🎥: @visualcinematic taken in Christ Cathedral by @tomrobles

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2 months ago

One year married to my best friend.

It is hard to put into words how grateful I am for you, Elisa. This past year has been the greatest year of my life, and so much of that is because I have gotten to experience it all with you by my side.

I still look back at our wedding and feel incredibly lucky. We had such a beautiful day, surrounded by so many of the people we love, and I will always cherish those memories. But what I am most thankful for is everything that came after.

The everyday moments. Building a home together. Laughing together. Figuring life out together. Supporting each other when things are hard. Watching our family grow. Becoming parents together. Seeing you become such an incredible mom. Those are the moments that have made me realize over and over again how lucky I am that I get to call you my wife.

Thank you for loving me, believing in me, supporting me, and being the person I can always come home to. Thank you for the patience, the laughter, the sacrifices, and all the little things you do that probably do not get thanked nearly enough.

I am so proud of the life we are building together, and I would choose you again and again.

Happy first anniversary, mi amor. I love you more than I could ever fit into one post, and I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life growing old with you.

And to our family and friends who have loved us, celebrated us, prayed for us, and supported us throughout this first year of marriage, thank you. We are so blessed to have you in our lives.

🎥: @visualcinematic taken in Christ Cathedral by @tomrobles

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2 months ago