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Johan Rocha
English
There’s nothing
common about the life of Johan
Rocha; that much is evident just by
reading his name. Born in Brazil on
April 9th 1986, Johan’s
life is deeply embedded in the
Sapucai River, which runs through
his hometown of
Itajubá, Minas Gerais. Eight
years later, his mother, Michelle
Sepulveda, moved her three kids to
Plano, Texas, where they would spend
the next thirteen years assimilating
to a foreign culture. “Watching my
mother overcome infinite obstacles
inspires me to excel. She taught me
that there is no excuse for quitting
on a good idea.”
While Johan
lived through trying times, he
understands now the true blessings
of his experiences. It was difficult
not communicating with his father
for over a decade, but in the summer
of 2007, Johan finally made the trip
to re-establish the loving
relationship he so long desired.
With success, Johan has learned a
deep kind of love; unconditional and
supreme. “One of my major life-goals
is to reciprocate that love to
everyone I meet.”
As far as
curricular and extra-curricular
achievements, Johan has none to his
name. What could best be considered
achievements are in reality credited
solely to God who has permitted
Johan to do great things. After
entering Texas A&M as a waitlisted
student, Johan consistently makes
the decision to exercise his best in
every undertaking; a decision which
consistently proves gratifying. This
ambitious standard of performance
allows him to develop leadership
qualities and succeed in his
studies. As director of fundraising
for the CARPOOL organization and
founder of an untitled organization
referred to as “The Movement,” an
organization dedicated to exploring
vectors for communication, Johan
constantly finds himself making
decisions which affect numerous
people.
After giving
lectures in Brazil at the Fisk
school of foreign language, Johan
has decided to use his English major
and History minor to enter law
school with intentions to someday
improve international relations,
either as an international lawyer or
diplomat. Regardless of his future,
however, Johan continues to
volunteer for organizations like Big
Event, Habitat for Humanity, and the
Bill Glass Prison Ministry. He also
uses his proficient Portuguese to
assist the foreign language
department as a lab instructor, and
is now taking French with intentions
to someday study at the Université
de Paris.
2007 has been an exciting year for
Johan and continues to provide
invaluable learning opportunities.
After receiving the E.A. Shields Jr.
’41 Endowed Opportunity Award for
journalism, winning the award for
best presentation at the SCONA
convention for fostering stable
relations with non-democratic
nations
doing research in London, England,
and traveling for 7 weeks through
the south of Brazil, there is no
telling what the future has in
store. “I’m just trying to keep my
priorities in line; keeping God
first is difficult when you think
you are overwhelmed.” Despite being
a member of Community Church in
College Station and Texas A&M’s
chapter of Navigators Bible study,
Johan still struggles to spend time
with his Father. “As hard as it is
sometimes, there’s nothing I enjoy
more than listening to God.” |
