DATA-DRIVEN JOURNALISM Interview with Robert Rocha ('98) Where are you from and do you remember how you came to attend AISB? I was born in Brazil, but like a good TCK, I grew up in different countries, absorbing the cultures and creating a hybrid of my own. Before Hungary, I was living in the Washington, DC area of the United States.
My father worked for the World Bank and was offered a position at the Budapest office in 1993. I still remember how he sold me, a classic 13-year old at the time, the idea: “They have Burger King and Pizza Hut there, you know.”
How was your first day? It felt like a school, with all the kids and buses milling around. But the sprawling Csilleberc campus, with the converted dormitories as classrooms, the hostel reception desk on the main building, and the humble büfé as the cafeteria shared with the local users of the campus was a bit confusing, to say the least. It was a kind of alienation that, oddly enough, led to close friendships forming quickly. By the end of the first week, I had a best mate.
Did you have a favorite teacher? Which one of the teachers made the biggest impression on your life and why? Many teachers in my five years left a lasting impression. Mrs. Thompson, the music teacher, and show choir director. Mr. Collea, who inspired the love of science and made me want to be a geneticist. Mr. Wishky, with his Luigi mustache and corny jokes that made math class far more engaging. But Mr. Charles Newman, English literature teacher, changed who I am as a person. So many of my values I can trace directly to him. Think of all those classic poignant teacher movies: Dead Poets Society. Mr. Holland’s Opus. To Sir, With Love. That was Mr. Newman.
