Rojas seeks chemical engineer career

By Mallory Stiles
Editor in Chief

Many people think back on their high school experience and laugh about what they then thought was important.

East Lansing High School and Lansing Community College student Antonio Rojas, 17, will not be one of those people.

Rojas just finished taking General Chemistry, Chem Lab and Calculus III at LCC and four-pointed them all. Next semester, he is taking Intro to Differential Equations and General Chemistry II, all for a very specific purpose.

“I am going to be a chemical engineer,” Rojas said. “A lot of it is about designing reactors for things. It’s fun because I make it fun. I ask a lot of questions.”

Rojas was raised in a home where education is highly valued. He shared that both of his parents have always worked in schools, and are actually both currently working at HIS high school.

“One of my parents is a physics teacher and the other one works in it,” he said. “My mom taught me at an early age how to do math, which could be a reason why I have always been good at it.”

Rojas said he has always had a happy home life. He gave rave reviews of his parents’ cooking skills. He described his dad as the grill master and his mom as the queen of the side dish.

His father, Humberto Rojas, according to his son, is a chill dad who is very handy around the house and quick to join any conversation involving soccer.

Humberto said his son has been easy to raise, and enjoys helping others in his spare time.

“He is usually in his room either doing his homework or tutoring his friends online,” Humberto said. “They always have questions, usually math or physics, and he enjoys helping his buddies.”

Humberto also said Antonio has always stood out for being someone who seeks knowledge.

“He is always trying to find the answers and looking for the next thing to figure out,” Humberto said.

Antonio may have a very full schedule, but he still takes time do the things that are important to him, like taking his only sibling and little sister, Eliana, to school every morning.

He also does over 100 pushups every morning and another 200 throughout the day. He said it is just about telling yourself you can do something when you feel like you can’t, and never giving up.

“I am trying to work up to the one-arm push-up, so that’s fun,” Rojas said, laughing a bit. “Anything I actually work for, I can achieve.”

Rojas loves music by NF, blueberry pancakes and the movie “The Prestige.” He also would fence more often if he could, and said his favorite pastime would be playing survival video games for hours and hours.

He has been accepted by Michigan State University, Grand Valley State University and Western Michigan University, but still eagerly awaits a letter from the University of Michigan.
Rojas said he will miss many professors at LCC and has enjoyed each lecture. He added that the truth of the matter is it will soon be time for him to move on, which brought up his favorite quote.

“In a world full of lies,” he said, “the truth is crazy.”