About Tha Vegas Don
Robert Van Strawder
Robert Strawder defied the odds, not only by surviving the Donna Street Projects but also by showing his friends and family that anything is possible. Raised in North Las Vegas, he became involved in gangs, drugs, and run-ins with the law. He promised to give back to kids and families that live in low-income and poverty-stricken environments that he also grew up around. Mr. Strawder kept his promise and started his journey by graduating from CSN in 2017 with a double degree in General Studies, and Mental Behavioral Services. While helping the youth of Clark County he came up with the Hip Hop Entrepreneurship Program, in which he started a pilot in 2019 at Desert Rose High School. Robert’s program won over the kids at Desert Rose High School boosting attendance, improving their behavior, and raising grade point averages. Recently, Mr. Strawder was awarded the 2022 Legacy Builder Award from the NAACP of Las Vegas.
He has been a mentor and teacher in the Clark County School District for over 5-years.
In 2023, Robert became the CCSD New Educator of the Year.
Plugging The Pipeline To Prison
Straw has integrated restorative practice circles, mentoring, problem-solving, gang intervention, studio recording, and hip-hop music creation to catch the attention of high-risk, justice system impacted youth through Hip-Hop across the Valley.
Children Seek Internal & External Growth
Mr. Strawder created an innovative way to engage with youth while implementing teaching strategies such as diversion from criminal activity, music history, mathematics , literacy, and critical thinking.
