15 Minutes with Jessica Rojas,
2014 AHS graduate
By Bailey Bowers
You just graduated from Ada High School this May and you’re headed to Ohio State Lima in the fall to major in pre-health. Tell us more about that.
I chose OSU because with the amount of times that I have had the opportunity to visit Lima’s campus, I have been able to see many of the amazing things I could do with the medical program. I plan on living at home for two years and then I will be moving to main campus to finish my program.
One of the main reasons why I chose pre-health is that I just love the human body in general. Also, I want to help people and I feel like I can do that with medicine. Believe me, it is not about the money at all. It is all about the amount of help I would be able to provide for people and most importantly, about the change I could make in this world. I really hope to someday become a cardiologist, neurologist, or some kind of surgeon.
What are you looking forward to most about college? What are you most apprehensive about?
I know that this might sound weird, but honestly, I am looking forward to every single thing about college. If I were to pick one thing, I think that I would go with all the new amazing clubs there are that I will most likely be joining. The only thing that I could probably say I am very apprehensive about is all the chemistry classes I am going to be taking.
Tell us about the activities you were involved in during high school. Which one will you miss the most and why?
Throughout high school I found myself involved in many activities and sports. These included soccer, swim, language club, National Honor Society, Fellowship of Christian athletes, choir, art, and book club. I think that the one that I will miss the most is the one I regret not having had started sooner, which is choir.
The reason for this is that I actually truly enjoy it. I enjoyed singing and the teacher; it brought joy to my day. I will also miss the soccer team as well because I had the opportunity to share the field with some amazing ladies and I also got the opportunity to create many amazing memories.
What is your fondest memory of your time in Ada?
My fondest memory would have to be with the soccer team. Anything related with the soccer team makes me happy. The reason why I am so fond of the soccer team is because that was one of the main reasons why I tried in school.
One thing that many people know about you is the fact that you were born in Mexico. Do you remember the challenges of adjusting to life in the United States?
When I first came to the U.S., I was only 12 years old. I had to overcome many things and I also had to make many adjustments in my life.
Coming from the city, it was very hard to get used to the tiny town of Ada. Another change that happened had to do with my grades. Back in Mexico, I was not an A/B student. My grades were horrible, actually. When I moved here, I became a very dedicated, hard-working student. I learned about the new culture and how the kids behaved. I learned that the kids did not behave like the ones from Mexico.
The biggest challenge that I had to overcome was learning the new language. I came as a 12-year-old that had no background in the English language. The first year and a half in the United States was the hardest period of time I have ever experienced. Throughout that period of time, my father and I had a lot of very long days and nights that consisted of translating my homework from English to Spanish so that I could work on it and after getting it done, my father had to translate it back from Spanish to English. This process went on until I learned English. I would not be where I am today if it wasn't for my dad and mom.
If you could take any celebrity out to dinner in Ada, who would you take and where would take them? What do you think the main topic of conversation would be?
If I could take a celebrity to dinner I would probably take Shakira and I would probably take her to my house. If we were to have a conversation, the main topic would probably be languages since she speaks many different languages.
What’s your favorite thing about living in Ada?
My favorite thing about living in Ada will have to be the ginormous opportunity that I received to become someone better than I was before. Also I love how clean and calm it is.
If you could tell a large group of people one piece of advice or life lesson you’ve learned, what would it be and why?
My advice would be to always have an open mind and to be ready for change at any given moment since you never know when your life is going to take a drastic change. You have to be able to see everything from every single perspective and having an open mind will help with that.
Also, something I would like to tell all the young people out there is to never take anything for granted, especially education and all those opportunities for free. The reason for this is that there are a ton of people that do not have the same opportunities and would do anything to be able to get them.
Thanks for talking with us, Jessica, and good luck at college in the fall.
