Robin Roberts Takes You Back to School

Three down, one up today. We've gone back to school. We went to columbia, diving at penn state. The central coast of california yesterday. Now, we're going to louisiana. It's obvious that we all love... See More

Three down, one up today. We've gone back to school. We went to columbia, diving at penn state. The central coast of california yesterday. Now, we're going to louisiana. It's obvious that we all love our alma maters. We are so proud. No different here for me, for southeastern louisiana university. Going there was one of the best decisions I ever made. In addition to a great education, I made friendships that have grown strong even after leaving that beloved campus in a place we affectionately call hammond, america. Go, lions. Another school year on the beautiful campus of southeastern louisiana university is under way. When I arrived on campus, back in 1979, I was on a tennis scholarship. You heard me. Tennis. But I never played a college match. Basketball was my calling. She was very steady. You could depend on her to have a good many rebounds. Score a lot of points. She's very consistent. And I guess you could say it worked out pretty well. Today, we pay tribute to robin roberts. Reporter: My talented teammates were the reason for my success on and more importantly off the court. They would become my dearest friends. Being in their future weddings and becoming aunty robin to their children. Give me a break on the hair pap the greatest gift of playing on the team will most certainly be realized off the court. I'll be cheering you on from the sidelines. I always had an interest in journalism. And when I got to college, i thought it would be the perfect opportunity to explore the news biz. So, I worked at the college radio station, kslu. Glad to see it's in full swing. But my really big break came when I got a job in town at wfpr radio station. My news director and my colleague whose family owned the station at the time were the best and kindest mentors. She seemed focused. Maybe she was messing up and having bloopers, she was determined to get it right the next time. She signed on as my reporter. But she quickly moved on to sports and became our sports editor. And she had a country music show. And she could come across with that country accent after a while, too. She was pretty good at that. Reporter: Wfpr hometown country. Yeah, I surprised a lot of folks. She would spin country records? You don't really know anything about country music. In true robin fashion, she would play the popular songs that were crossover songs that I remember. ♪ I want a man with a slow hand ♪ there is one that showed up in the cue a lot more than it was supposed to. That was the pointer sisters, "slow hand." ♪ Come and go with a heated rush ♪ she loved that song. She probably played it at least once an hour. Reporter: My fondness for country grew and remains this day. My love for broadcast journalist blossoms at the station. And I hope the same for future southeastern students. It was nice to get a paycheck to put into my first checking account. It helped pay for the gas of my sweet datsun. That reminds me of a time when my friends tried to sell it. I loved the swap shop. People call in with anything they want to get rid of. I called in and I tried to change my voice a little bit. Saying, yeah, I have a 1978 datsun b210. We're going to sell that cheap. Someone did offer ten baby chicks. But I kept my car and my friendship with nancy. For the students of my alma mater, I wish you three things. Lifelong friendships. An opportunity to discover new interests. And academic success. Lion-up. I love that. I wish for you three things. When I was ill, my dear teammates, her nickname -- michelle gillette. She spent weeks in my apartment, whipping up some cajun dishes. Came for weeks and weeks on end. And she lived near campus. Her parents did. It was nice to leave the dorms and go to their house and have good home cooking. The dorm we lived in was a little old. It's no longer -- that's a picture of it. It's no longer in existence. My mother said, it looked like a motel. We used to hop over. She was very concerned. My mom wanted to come back and get me the next day. So glad my father talked her out of it. I would have gotten in that car. She had empty nest syndrome. But they let me go out on my own. A great day. Great place to do it, southeastern louisiana. And coming up with the food. You mentioned, you would have gotten in that car. But you saved up and bought your own car. And speaking of -- what? Drumroll, please. The ultimate memento. Look at what's rolling in. Look at that sweet ride. Look at that. Oh. You know, you had to have a seat. Does it have an 8-track? Four on the floor. No sunroof. Oh. Get in. It's a classic. I have to tell you. Good-looking car. It's great. I had a c.B. My handle was brown sugar. Can we call you that?