Jason Rocha applied to UH after finishing a tour with the U.S. Army. Now, he’s fueling his love for politics by running for a position on the Woodlands board of directors. | Courtesy of Jason Rocha
UH economics and political science senior Jason Rocha is a U.S. Army veteran and is now running for office in The Woodlands. The Daily Cougar sat down with him to talk about the military, his campaign and his experience at UH.
The Daily Cougar: What position are you running for?
Jason Rocha: I’m running for the board of directors for The Woodlands Township. To wrap it up in the simplest terms, it’s basically city council. They make decisions for the city and for the township in respect to what comes up on our agenda.
TDC: Why did you want to run?
JR: This has actually been on my mind for a while; politics has been very fascinating to me for quite some time. I remember watching C-SPAN when I was in middle school, and I just found politics so fascinating. When I heard about the position being open, I decided that this would be the best opportunity to hop in. I love the Woodlands, I love the people here and it’s been a true blessing to call it home for the past three years. What better way to serve the people than to be a representative for the people?
TDC: Switching gears a little bit, what made you want to go into the military?
JR: It was something I truly felt called to — as a citizen of this great country, I felt the call to serve it. I did go to community college, but the original plan was to get the degree first. However, my sister was in the Marine Corps deployed to Iraq, so things got a little different when it was like, “Oh, my sister’s over there!” So it’s always been in me to join and it’s something that was a great experience.
TDC: How do you think that experience has changed you, and how do you think it has affected your life as a student and your life as, hopefully, a member of the township board?
JR: The military taught me so much about people, about myself and just about making rational and logical decisions. I got out as a sergeant, and I actually got promoted at 20 months, which is pretty early. The way it benefits me at UH is I take school a heck of a lot more seriously now, and because I’m a little bit older than I was at junior college, I see the true benefit of education, and maybe I didn’t see that before for whatever reason.
TDC: What are your hopes for the election?
JR: The election has been such an interesting, new experience for me, as it is for anyone who has never run a campaign before. It is just incredible the support I’ve received from not only my army friends, but the people here in The Woodlands. It’s so great. I look forward to the rest of the campaign and the election on Nov. 5. Mostly, I truly look forward to representing the people of The Woodlands.
