Robin Purcell

Emerald Isle, NC-based Robin Purcell serves as a Counselor at NCCA, an organization from which she received Counselor of the Year honors shortly after joining it in 2010 and that is committed to assisting teens without a home and other at-risk adolescents. A dedicated counselor, she has been an agent of positive, life-altering change for no fewer than 100 teenagers. Robin Purcell achieved this largely through a curriculum she developed for NCCA that bolsters teens' self-image and desire to succeed. By combining motivational strategies with healing methods targeted at adolescents, the program sets teens on a course for a better life.

An alumna of East Carolina University in Greenville, NC, Robin Purcell graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Finance. The University also granted her an honorary degree for voluntarily serving troubled teens in the area. She also holds certification in Young Adult Education from Carteret Community College, which played a key role in helping her develop NCCA's curriculum.

Beyond counseling, Robin Purcell engages in numerous activities devoted to wildlife and environmental protection. She founded Don't Trash the Planet, which today boasts a roster of more than 300 members, and volunteers with the Wildlife Sea Rescue League in Greenville, through which she has adopted three animals. Robin Purcell also serves as the Co-Chair for North Carolina Freecycle's annual fundraiser to benefit children. Additionally, she writes a monthly column on endangered species in Kenya for the National Institute for Animal Advocacy. A spokesperson for its Ocean Fish Initiative, she also belongs to the Alaska Wildlife Fund.