George Robey IV, a former homeless man to Corporate director, now that’s a real transformer!
Since life is what you make of it, George Robey IV, a former homeless man, drastically altered his course and permanently transformed his life.
Robey, who is 40 years old now, shares his 16-year journey, which was filled with challenges and struggles.
He was raised in Silver Spring, Maryland. Although his parents gave him and his siblings the “best” possible life, he found himself going downhill, facing numerous trials and tribulations, including being kicked out of his home in 2006.
He lived in a truck he had previously paid off and would sleep in the woods from time to time, or just about anywhere that felt good enough, as reported by PEOPLE.
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Just a few months later, he learned his girlfriend was pregnant with his first child, which made him feel more pressure to make ends meet.
Robey found his big break when he saw an AT&T sign “glowing” nearby. He took a leap of faith and walked inside as he applied for a job at the store, it was a day he will never forget.
The employees told him that they were indeed hiring, and someone went to fetch their manager, Yassir Querishe, whom Robey still has an amazing relationship with. Querishe encouraged Robey to apply online, but he didn’t have a computer or even a mobile number to do so.
He went to a public library and paid a small fee to use the computer there and applied online for the job. Robey then spent two hours asking passersby for any money they could spare, eventually finding $25, which he used to purchase a GoPhone and a plan right at the store.
He then scribbled the number onto the application and gave it to Querishe. For the next two weeks, Robey feared he would never hear from AT&T again, but to his surprise, his phone rang one afternoon.
It was Querishe, offering him a job. Despite his unkempt looks, nobody at AT&T’s office judged him for his appearance and they were “excited” to have him onboard.
If this wasn’t enough then Robey realized he had another obstacle to overcome: finding proper clothing to wear.
He went to a church later that day and saw a man who was about to donate clothes. Although the clothes were a few sizes larger for him, he happily accepted and took the clothes with him.
When he started working, he was asked by his colleagues why he wore the same suit to work every other day. To this statement, he shared his secret: “You just hired a homeless person.”
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He believes that AT&T changed his life and gave him an opportunity that most don’t think you can get after you hit rock bottom.
Robey began working his way up the corporate ladder, starting at the Gaithersburg location. After five years, he was promoted to Assistant Store Manager, a job he held for six months.
He spent another six months as a Bennett County national account executive, but ultimately “missed being in the store.”
So, Robey turned to his previous role as Assistant Store Manager for six more months before being promoted to Store Manager, a role he held for the next five years.
After the pandemic began, Robey was offered the opportunity to run a store all of his own in Washington, D.C., and soon after, he got a phone call to relocate to Atlanta and become an Associate Director.
Robey owes to the AT&T leadership for opening doors in his life to things he would’ve never imagined that he could touch. He believes that AT&T’s leadership helped guide him over the last decade and a half, making some of them almost like family.
He also cited Charlamagne Tha God as someone who inspired him to go to therapy and believes that dealing with past traumas helped him heal. He also resolved things with his parents and other family members.
Robey now wants to motivate others and teach children that success doesn’t require being the center of attention or being the best at anything. He thinks it’s okay to be unique and that organizations like AT&T are searching for the next Robey, someone whose life may be transformed.
