Whether it’s studying for his classes, preparing for a meeting with the environmental committee or just rocking out to some classic 80s music, Payton Robinson is always committed and on the move.

Not only is 18-year-old Robinson a full-time student here at Moorpark College, but he’s also the founder and president of the Nature’s Finest Club, a double major in in civil engineering and philosophy, and a community volunteer with the Harold Robinson Foundation. His contagious positive energy can be felt the moment you begin speaking with him, leaving no wonder as to how he manages to inspire anyone in his presence.

Robinson originally had the dream of just supporting his family by becoming a successful businessman. However, he later realized that making money wasn’t the most important thing in life when he came to appreciate nature at Malibu’s Canyon Camp.

“I worked at a summer camp called Malibu Canyon Camp in which I met Paul Hudak who is a seedologist and he just inspired me with plants,” said Robinson. “At that point, I realized it’s not just about helping my family, it’s also about helping plants, and helping nature.”

It’s that appreciation of Nature that lead Robinson to found Nature’s Finest Club and work to build an organic garden for all students to have a place in which they can grow their own food and connect to the both the natural environment and the broader social environment.

“The main difference between a junior college and a university is the difference of connection,” said Robinson. “At a university, you live there so you really connect with the campus and the people of the school. So we have to make students feel that way about Moorpark college.”

In order to achieve this lofty goal of bringing Moorpark College students together with nature, Robinson has received help from the community and also campus faculty, including the executive director of the Moorpark College Foundation David Mirisch, who is not only Robinson’s club advisor but also his mentor.

David Mirisch, executive director of the Moorpark College Foundation, who is not only Robinson’s advisor, but also mentor, explains what it has been like to work with Robinson.

“In all my years of meeting college students, which has been around 50 years,” said Mirisch, “he is one of the most enthusiastic, passionate people that I have ever met about a project.”

Mirisch is proud of Robinson in many ways. Not only is it no easy task to launch a new club on campus, but to start one with such grand goals and ambitions is another thing entirely.

Robinson first shared the idea for Nature’s Finest Club to his close friend Drew Ziegler, a 19-year-old engineering major who’s been at Robinson’s side since they were children and even helped Robinson create a garden at Moorpark high school.

“It’s been awesome growing up with [Robinson]. All of my best memories have been with Payton. Whether it was playing “Rockband” when we were eight years old to now, we’ve been through it all.”

Ziegeler is eager to say how much inspiration he has received from Robinson, having been alongside with him throughout many projects.

“He just has a very good work ethic, seeing him work and see how much effort he puts into this pushes me to work harder,” said Ziegeler. “When he says he is going to do something, there is no doubt in my mind that he’s going to do it.”

When Robinson and Ziegeler first started the first iteration of the club at Moorpark High School, they set out to leave something major behind for more students to enjoy, completing the garden just as their time at the school ended with the 2016 school year.

“We didn’t make the garden for our self, we made it for the next generation to enjoy,” said Robinson.

Robinson says that his ambition and work ethic are derived from his time as a counselor introducing children to nature with a group very special to him, the Harold Robinson Foundation.

Coincidental matching names aside, the foundation was established by actress Joyce Hyser Robinson and is an organization focused on offering underprivileged children a chance to go to summer camp as a relief from their daily lives.

“If it wasn’t for the Harold Robinson Foundation and me being a counselor there, I wouldn’t have created the Nature’s Finest Club,” said Robinson. “Some of these kids have never seen a forest before and some of them don’t even have their own bed. They are what got me going. I was helping out the community in a way that was so powerful.”

No matter where he is or who he is with, Robinson always brings a positive energy and vibe to those around him.

“[Robinson] is just so caring for people,” said Ziegler. “Personally I don’t believe many people today don’t have real sincerity towards one another. It seems that no matter where Payton goes, he always draws people to him. He just has this natural smile.”

Working with professionals, students and under-privileged kids, Robinson has set a grade A example for Moorpark College students to follow.

“Leaders are called leaders because they lead people to get excited,” said Mirisch. “That is what he has done for the Nature’s Finest Club.”