COVID robbed them of graduation, but this duo is leaving UNCC with something better
There is no pomp or circumstance for UNC Charlotte graduates Jordan Scott and Davian (DJ) Robinson.
Like the rest of their 2020 classmates, they will be watching their commencement speech online, rather than walking across Halton Arena to receive their hard-earned diplomas on Saturday.
But the once overweight boy from the beaches of Ft. Lauderdale and the visually impaired national Paralympic level cyclist from the North Carolina Mountains have gained something during their time at UNC Charlotte that is perhaps more important than a degree — an unlikely and unbreakable friendship.
Scott transferred to UNC Charlotte in 2018, an exercise science major going through the motions of completing his degree. He chose a seat in the front of the classroom for Anatomy 101, due to its proximity to the exit when class was over. His seatmate, Robinson, had chosen his front row seat for another reason — he is visually impaired.
The two would develop a friendly banter over the course of the semester that would later turn into a friendship. The shift happened when Scott observed Robinson running his hands over a skeleton in the lab to learn the parts for their anatomy exam.
He felt compelled to step in and help his visually impaired classmate. What he didn’t know is how exponentially Robinson would help him in return.
‘I thought he had fallen in love overnight or something, his smile was so big’
As their friendship grew, Scott confided in Robinson that he had long struggled with his weight. At age 17, weighing 260 lbs, the doctors had diagnosed him as pre-diabetic. He knew he needed to lose weight and it became his dream to run a 5K — something he deemed the “ultimate” in fitness goals. The very next day Robinson walked into class beaming. “I thought he had fallen in love overnight or something, his smile was so big,” Scott laughed. “He told me that we would be running a 5K together in five weeks.
“He had gone straight home and signed us up without even asking me. I begrudgingly agreed, if and only if, he would go skydiving with me. The idea came to me because everyone is scared of skydiving, right? Well, not DJ,” Scott said.
A week later the duo jumped out of a plane together. “When he pushed me out of that plane, I viewed it as letting go of the past and jumping into a new future,” Robinson said.
Running at night
To prepare for the 5K, Scott ran in the dark of night to get an idea of how best to guide Robinson on race day. He trained for five weeks to achieve what he once thought was impossible. Before they even crossed the finish line of that race, Robinson was planning their next athletic feat — a 150 mile bike ride for multiple sclerosis. Scott had not been on a bike in over a decade, but with motivation, encouragement and sometimes a bit of trickery, Robinson was able to help him prepare for the 150-mile ride.
“I had other male friendships before at the Paralympic cycling level and in life, but what Jordan and I share is really a spiritual connection. I’ve never had a friend push me to achieve new levels of success like he has,” Robinson said. “As someone who has spent my whole life trying to navigate a world that is not tailored for me, experiencing what it felt like to be impactful on someone else’s life, in something they didn’t believe was tailored for them, was monumental for me.”
Robinson’s humility is endearing. He brushes over the fact he is UNC Charlotte’s first visually impaired Dance Performance major, as well as the university’s first visually impaired Exercise Science major. Born premature, gradually losing his eyesight during his childhood, Robinson has had the odds stacked against him. But his never quit mentality has driven him to achieve what no one in UNC Charlotte’s history has.
He credits his friendship with Scott for pushing him to new levels of success during his time at UNC Charlotte. “DJ and I each have flaws — they are what make him perfectly him and what make me perfectly me,” said Scott. “We are just two flawed individuals who truly see the best in one another.”
As their college journey comes to an end, their unexpected friendship certainly will not. The duo had planned to complete one of Robinson’s dreams to celebrate their graduation — a 500 mile bike ride across NC.
“I had thought about it for years and wanted to make it a goal for graduation. I like the idea of starting in the mountains, where the roads are steep and the journey is hard, and ending at the flat coastline. It’s like a metaphor for pushing through hard things to get to the good times,” said Robinson. Though the journey is delayed due to COVID-19, one thing is sure with these friends, they will make it happen. One other thing they are planning to do? You guessed it — more skydiving. This time a high-altitude jump from 18K feet.
While Robinson is unable to participate, Scott will mark his 2020 graduation from UNC Charlotte by completing a 202.0 mile bike ride around Charlotte, starting at sunset on Friday, May 8, and culminating at sunrise on graduation day, May 9.
“These 202.0 miles represent a culmination of all the trials and tribulations I’ve overcome since high school. I never expected to get this far in life,” Scott said. “While I cannot bring DJ with me, he has been monumental in my success and he will be with me in spirit.”
Good news for the future of these UNC Charlotte grads: they aren’t going to be far from one another. Robinson will continue his studies pursuing a Master’s degree at Duke University in the Fall, and Scott will be just 37 miles down the road at Elon University getting his DPT.
Not surprisingly, the two have already calculated the fastest bike route between the universities.
