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Eight thousand miles and a world away from home, Shane Robinson's life goals revealed themselves: Make a difference; help

others.

That was eight years ago, when he and his wife worked in the Peace Corps as health volunteers in rural Zambia, a landlocked country in southern Africa.

"At first I thought the Peace Corps was going to be this really cool adventure," he said. "Then it refocused what I wanted to do in life — create change in the world; fight poverty; improve education."

Robinson has lived, worked or studied on five continents. He was born in Iran, and then traveled with his parents to Brazil, Bolivia and Nevada.

"(Montgomery County) has always been a sort of home to me, even though I moved around a lot as a child," Robinson said. "And I want to stay here into the future. This is where I want my kids to go to school and be raised."

He has settled down in Montgomery Village with his wife, and they are expecting their first child. On the weekends, he volunteers as a dive master with Atlantic Edge Dive Center. He works with Amigos de Iracambi US, Inc., a nonprofit to protect Brazil's Atlantic rainforest, and Future Link, a Gaithersburg-based program that supports at-risk young adults. He is nearing completion of a master's degree program in intercultural leadership.

The top three issues Robinson wants to address as a lawmaker are education, health care and improving the local economy. He thinks schools should continue providing high-quality education, but should receive support from outside public agencies to see to the health of Maryland's young people. He thinks the state should lead the nation in innovating green technology and he thinks access to quality health care is a human right.

Robinson, 33, is the youngest candidate in the race, which he thinks is an advantage. "I've got most of my career still ahead of me. Things in Annapolis take time, and I could spend the time to make change."

District 39 includes Montgomery Village, Washington Grove and parts of Germantown, Darnestown and North Potomac.

-Residence: Montgomery Village

-Age: 33

-Party: Democrat

-Education: Bachelor's degrees in Spanish and biology from the University of Nevada at Reno.

-Work experience: Senior associate at The Coulter Companies, which provides operating support to small nonprofit organizations.

-Family: Married, with a baby on the way.

-Top issues: Education, health care and jobs and the economy.

Campaign funds: $10,000 on-hand, $5,000 spent; plans to raise $10,000 more. He will send out three mailings, two of which are ready to go, he said.

Previous political experience: A political newcomer, Robinson touts his government relations and advocacy work at the local, state and national level. He also donates to the Democratic Party.

-Other affiliations: President of Amigos de Iracambi US, Inc.; Member of the board of directors at Future Link.

-Websites: www.robinson4

delegate.com or www.facebook.

com/robinson4delegate