Westmoreland Jr./Sr. High School senior, Jason Robinson, was named a 2021 “Teen All-Star” by the Observer-Dispatch.
Jason was one of only 25 area students honored with the award. They were chosen from nearly 100 nominees representing 19 schools in Oneida, Herkimer and Madison counties. 
Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, there was no awards ceremony this year. Each “Teen All-Star” received a certificate, $100 check and was highlighted in a special edition of the Observer-Dispatch.
Jason is the son of James and Erin Robinson. He has a cumulative GPA of 95.48 and is a member of National Honor Society, Student Council, Jazz Band, Marching Band, Saxophone Ensemble, Select Choir, Broadway Voices and Team Lead. He is also Vice President of Tri-M, Vice President of Drama Club and Class of 2021 Treasurer.
In addition to his strong academic standing and participation in several school clubs and organizations, Jason is an accomplished wheelchair athlete and competes on the Varsity Track & Field team. In 2019, he was named a U.S. Paralympics Track & Field High School All-American in the 100m, 800m, 1500m and 5000m – the first time he was named an All-American in four events. At the 2019 New York State Track & Field Championships, he placed first in the 800m, 1600m and 3200m wheelchair races, setting a new personal record in each event. He also won the 1600m and 3200m races in 2018.
While Jason is motivated by his own success, helping others with a disability is perhaps even more rewarding. In 2013, Jason and his family started the JRob Foundation, a not-for-profit organization that provides kids with adaptive sports equipment. They started the organization to spread a message of perseverance and inclusion, and demonstrate people with disabilities can be athletes, too.
“I think it is extremely important to encourage kids with disabilities to chase their dreams no matter how hard they may be,” said Jason, who has Spinal Segmental Dysgenesis and serves as vice president of the JRob Foundation. “Yes, a disability may have its challenges and obstacles to overcome, however, there are always ways to adapt to the situation and conquer the challenge ahead of you. Hopefully, by encouraging kids with disabilities to try everything and not let anyone stop them, it will help change the image of someone with a disability from someone who is helpless to someone who is just like everyone else.”
The Observer-Dispatch has been recognizing the most talented students our area has to offer since 1992. In order to be named a “Teen All-Star,” a student must be a high school senior and nominated for the award. Like previous years, students were selected by a panel of community judges. This year’s judges were: Anthony Baird, vice president for diversity, equity & inclusion, and student transitions/chief diversity officer at Utica College; Joanna Robertson, owner of The Treehouse Reading and Arts Center; Rebecca Ruffing, director of public relations at Herkimer College; and Stephen Zogby, executive vice president of Scalzo, Zogby & Wittig, Inc.
Outside of school, Jason volunteers at his church. He also competes for the North Jersey Navigators, a Paralympics sports team in New Jersey.
In the fall, Jason will be attending the University of Illinois to major in bioengineering, with the goal of becoming a bioengineer. He plans to remain active in our local community through the JRob Foundation by teaching elementary and middle school students about adaptive sports and sharing his message of perseverance and the importance of inclusion.
Congratulations, Jason!
To read a full write-up on Jason that was featured in the Observer-Dispatch, click here.