Future Center Instructor, Tabitha Rocha, works to help students achieve their college dreams.
Tabitha Rocha provides a valuable service to college-bound seniors in TJ's Future Center. photo by Anna Becker
A Colorado native and education lover, Tabitha Rocha spends her time in TJ’s Future Center, helping college-bound students in need of assistance on their applications and essays.
A shy and quiet person, Tabitha always knew that education was going to be an important part of her life. “I am a first generation student, the first out of 20 cousins to go to college,” said Rocha.
As a graduate from Brush High School in northeastern Colorado, she continued with her education at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. “I was really focused in school because I wanted to get out of there in four years,“ Rocha added, proud of her accomplishments.
At Brush High School, Rocha was like many of the students here at TJ. She was an athlete and a great student. “During my time in high school I tried to be involved. I was part of FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) and NHS (National Honor Society). I also played volleyball, which was all a big part of high school,” said Rocha.
When going to college, Rocha was indecisive about what to do with her future. “I decided to major in business because it provided more job opportunities. I also liked marketing, which was partly why I did it,” said Rocha. CSU has a strong business program, which helped Rocha make her decision about going to school there. During her time in college she was very involved in campus activities. “I worked a lot with my admissions office job at CSU. I think this is one of the reasons why I chose my current job,” said Rocha.
After graduating from CSU’s class of 2001, Rocha moved on to take full advantage of her business degree, and found it was not to everything she had hoped for. “I worked in the Bellagio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas for four years. I thought I wanted to work in the hotel and gambling business, but I didn’t like it,” said Rocha.
Her experience in the business field led her back to pursue a career in education, and returned to work in Colorado as a recruitment officer for CSU. While working as a recruiting officer for, an admission representative for the Denver Scholarship Foundation then informed her of the job opening. “I can’t really say what my favorite thing about TJ is; I visited most DPS high schools and I like the way this one is run and the students here,” said Rocha.
On top of focusing on her job and the educational careers of TJ’s graduating class, Rocha likes to spend her time with her family and Pomeranian dog, which she has had for four years. “I am very close to my family, especially my sister and aunt. I love making family photo collages,” said Rocha, who also loves to travel, and indulges one of her favorite hobbies, photography, during her trips. As a landscape photographer, she has been to Nevada and Arizona and many parts of Colorado to take pictures. “I want to go to Greece. The pictures of the Greek Islands look so beautiful. I just want to go somewhere out of the country,” added Rocha.
A well rounded professional with a love for photography and helping students achieve their goals, Tabitha Rocha continues to make a noticeable difference in the TJ community.
If you need help with any college and/or financial aid application, just stop by and talk to Tabitha Rocha in the Future Center (Room 114) before school or during lunch.
