{"id":2227,"date":"2024-12-06T12:08:35","date_gmt":"2024-12-06T17:08:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/business-educational-information\/?p=2227"},"modified":"2024-12-06T14:09:24","modified_gmt":"2024-12-06T19:09:24","slug":"from-entrepreneurial-roots-to-inspiring-futures-dr-andy-rojas-at-spc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/business-educational-information\/from-entrepreneurial-roots-to-inspiring-futures-dr-andy-rojas-at-spc\/","title":{"rendered":"From Entrepreneurial Roots to Inspiring Futures: Dr. Andy Rojas at SPC"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dr. Andy Rojas\u2019 path to becoming a respected educator in business is anything but typical. From a young age in Colombia, Dr. Rojas discovered a knack for negotiation and an eye for opportunity that set the stage for a career in international banking. Today, he brings that experience to students at St. Petersburg College (SPC), guiding the next generation of business leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;As an international student, I learned how education could open doors and connect people from diverse backgrounds. It became the foundation for my career and shaped my approach to teaching,&#8221; said Dr. Rojas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Early Insights and a Passion for Business<\/strong><br>Dr. Rojas\u2019 first entrepreneurial venture started with an Atari video game console, gifted by his father. He turned it into a \u201ctimeshare\u201d for neighborhood kids, charging a fee for playtime. This experience ignited his passion for business and shaped his entrepreneurial mindset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>From Banking to Teaching<\/strong><br>After a successful career in international banking, Dr. Rojas felt called to share his expertise through teaching. &#8220;I realized prosperity is about helping others reach their goals. Teaching allows me to guide students toward meaningful prosperity\u2014success that aligns with their values.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At SPC, Dr. Rojas connects classroom learning with real-world practice. &#8220;We build relationships with employers, giving students a direct pathway to the job market,&#8221; he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Global Partnerships for Impact<\/strong><br>Dr. Rojas spearheads SPC\u2019s international collaborations with institutions in Japan, Colombia, Jordan, and Greece, building a global community of students and professionals. &#8220;We\u2019ve created a network of aspiring professionals who are empowered to make an impact across cultures and continents,&#8221; he shares.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/business-educational-information\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/12\/pexels-apasaric-1285625-1-Greece-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/business-educational-information\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/12\/pexels-apasaric-1285625-1-Greece-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2231\" style=\"width:560px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/business-educational-information\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/12\/pexels-apasaric-1285625-1-Greece-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/business-educational-information\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/12\/pexels-apasaric-1285625-1-Greece-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/business-educational-information\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/12\/pexels-apasaric-1285625-1-Greece-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/business-educational-information\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/12\/pexels-apasaric-1285625-1-Greece-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/business-educational-information\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/12\/pexels-apasaric-1285625-1-Greece-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Core Lessons for Students<\/strong><br>Dr. Rojas emphasizes three principles:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Be Different:<\/strong>&nbsp;Develop unique strengths into a personal brand.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Take the Balcony View:<\/strong>&nbsp;Step back to see the bigger picture.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cultural Intelligence:<\/strong>&nbsp;Be curious about and respect other cultures in a globalized world.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>A Lasting Legacy<\/strong><br>Dr. Rojas views teaching as a calling, saying, &#8220;In business and life, it\u2019s not just about what you achieve but how you impact others. I want to help students build lives they\u2019re proud of.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For students interested in learning more about the upcoming Greece trip, you can reach out to Dr. Rojas directly at&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"mailto:rojas.andres@spcollege.edu\">rojas.andres@spcollege.edu<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/business-educational-information\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/12\/pexels-alleksana-10611879-balcony-view-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/business-educational-information\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/12\/pexels-alleksana-10611879-balcony-view-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2232\" style=\"width:297px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/business-educational-information\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/12\/pexels-alleksana-10611879-balcony-view-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/business-educational-information\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/12\/pexels-alleksana-10611879-balcony-view-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/business-educational-information\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/12\/pexels-alleksana-10611879-balcony-view-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/business-educational-information\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/12\/pexels-alleksana-10611879-balcony-view-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/business-educational-information\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/12\/pexels-alleksana-10611879-balcony-view-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/business-educational-information\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/12\/pexels-alleksana-10611879-balcony-view-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Discover Dr. Andy Rojas&#8217; inspiring journey from entrepreneurship in Colombia to international banking and education at St. Petersburg College.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2095,"featured_media":2238,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[9,4,31,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-entrepreneurship","category-featured","category-international-business"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/business-educational-information\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2227","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/business-educational-information\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/business-educational-information\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/business-educational-information\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2095"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/business-educational-information\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2227"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/business-educational-information\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2227\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2240,"href":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/business-educational-information\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2227\/revisions\/2240"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/business-educational-information\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2238"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/business-educational-information\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2227"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/business-educational-information\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2227"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/business-educational-information\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}