Graduate Ready

As a first-generation college student from Southern Illinois, Bobby Driver ’26 arrived at Illinois College determined to find a community where he could thrive academically and personally. He found exactly that. “When I visited campus for Ready, Set, Go, I just fell in love with how close-knit and welcoming everything felt,” Driver says. “Everyone made me feel like I belonged.”

That sense of belonging helped Driver chart an ambitious path centered on mental health advocacy, social justice and hands-on learning. Majoring in psychology with a minor in neuroscience, he discovered his passion for the behavioral side of brain science through classes like abnormal psychology and cognitive psychology. Support from faculty mentors, including Elizabeth Rellinger Zettler, Brittney Yancy, and IC staff members in TRIO and the Center for Student Engagement, gave him the confidence to pursue opportunities he once didn’t imagine possible.

Those opportunities quickly multiplied. As Illinois College’s Newman Civic Fellow, Driver leads a social-impact project supporting local youth through the Midwest Youth Services program, providing essential resources and workshops designed to show young people that college is an option no matter where you come from. On campus, he serves as vice president of the Black Student Union, advocates for student wellness, works as a residential assistant and contributes to campuswide communication efforts through Student Senate’s PR Committee.

His experiential learning has been just as transformative. Driver completed a neuroscience-based internship at Turner Scientific, where he learned advanced imaging techniques and worked directly with immunolabeled mouse brain tissue. He also conducted summer research with Rellinger Zettler, exploring resilience, burnout and psychosocial factors among current and future healthcare providers, research he will present at Celebration of Excellence this spring.

Now preparing to graduate, Driver is applying to PhD and master’s programs in clinical psychology. His long-term goal is to become a clinician who expands mental health access in marginalized communities while reducing stigma and promoting generational healing.

Driver says Illinois College has prepared him to Graduate READY by surrounding him with the people and resources he needed to grow. “As a first-gen student, I came in not knowing anything about college. IC taught me that it’s okay to ask for help and gave me the support to succeed. The community here really prepared me for what comes next.”