PROFILE OF MR. ROSALES

BY HENRY TRIONE

Q: Is that advice that you would pass on to high school students?
A: Oh yes, definitely. An honest living, and do the best that you can regardless of what it is.

Q: What is an experience in high school that you think has been influential on you?
A: Probably my math teacher, Roberto Ramirez who just retired about two, three years ago from Windsor High. And he really inspired me to continue my education. He really pushed me to go to college. And I think, really if it wasn’t for him, who knows? I might not have gone, or might not have had the drive to do it. He was a big influence.

Q: So that experience might be the reason why you’re here today?
A: Yeah, unfortunately I didn’t turn out the way he thought I’d turn out, but that’s another story.

Q: What did he think was going to happen?
A: Well, [chuckle] politically he was a little to the left. So, I didn’t turn out that way.

Q: He probably didn’t vote for McCain and Palin then.
A: I…I don’t think so.

Q: What does it mean to you to be an American?
A: Oh man, that’s a good one. I don’t know. It’s hard to describe. I think it would be easier to describe if I was a foreigner or immigrant because I would know what I didn’t have. But I think we take it for granted all the liberties we have. I just feel that’s how it is, and reality is it’s not. I mean there’s other countries that don’t enjoy the things we enjoy.

Q: Right. My family is third generation. How many generations has your family been here?
A: I am first generation. So the struggles of my parents coming from Mexico are still pretty ingrained in me. So I understand that. So it’s not like four or five generations that I’m so removed that it’s not real to me. It’s still very real.

Q: Okay, wow. And then of course on the same note of patriotism, you were in the Marine Corp. for how many years?
A: I was in the Marine Corp. for six years. Most of the time was in the reserves, but then I went on active duty.
Q: What do you think it taught you? What is something you took away from it? (At this point in the interview a student comes into the office and promises to bring Mr. Rosales a dollar for the privilege of shaving.)
A: What it taught me? I think what it taught me is it made me appreciate the country, all the freedoms we have. It taught me to be organized, to be on time.

Q: So that’s probably what you take to your job here.
A: Yeah. And it really taught me that people are always watching you, good and bad. I mean, I’ve had people come to me during my coaching experience and say, ‘Hey, I’ve watched you, and you’re doing a good job.’ It could easily have been, ‘I’m watching what a jerk you are. You’re mean to the kids.’ That’s something I always tell our kids is people are always watching. My drill instructor always used to tell us, ‘Eyes are upon you.’ Meaning that people are always watching.

Q: So you have always wanted to be at the top of your game and highest performance.
A: Well you know, I always try to do the best that I can. I mean, regardless of what I’m doing. If I was a street sweeper I would want to be the best that I am. If I was a coach, I would try to be the best that I am, regardless of what I am doing. I always tell people, like when I see one of the kids I coached working at a fast food store, ‘You know what? You can’t knock an honest living, and as long as you do the best that you can it really doesn’t matter.’ It’s an honest living.