“When I took discrete mathematics with Professor Benedetto, math started to mean something to me,” Rojas said. I encouraged her to take more math classes, as well as consider the math major.”Īfter she took a few more math courses, the decision to major in math was easy for Rojas. She explored problem-solving in such a thoughtful way. “She was incredibly bright, sharp and kind. “I knew immediately that she was math major material,” Benedetto said. Although Rojas was hesitant to take more than a few math classes, Benedetto knew better. In her first year at Amherst, Rojas met Professor Danielle Benedetto, who taught her intermediate calculus. “I knew I would take at least one math class, just because I enjoyed it in high school and was good at it,” Rojas said. Hearing that today is shocking for everyone who knows the math and Spanish double major. When Rojas first arrived on Amherst’s campus, she had no intention of majoring in math. “They showed me that Amherst was definitely an option I had for college. “They brought me to all of the college visits, they paid for my applications,” Rojas said. Rojas credits strong Amherst alumni community at Pingree as one of the main reasons she came to Amherst. “A lot of Amherst alums are involved as well, as either teachers or parents of children that attend both schools,” Rojas said. In fact, she is still in contact with some of these teachers today. Rojas’ time at Pingree was defined by her close relationships with her teachers. However, despite the initial culture shock, Rojas was and still is grateful that she decided to attend the school. “Never before had people been impressed and intrigued by how curly my hair was,” Rojas said. She went from attending a charter school, where most of the students in the classroom were Dominican, to attending a private school, where most of the students were white and wealthy. Initially, Pingree was a big culture shock for Rojas. Many people dismissed “The Complex” as a dangerous place, but to Rojas and her two brothers (one older and one younger), it was and still is their home. About one hour away from her home in Lawrence, she learned at Pingree that the way she was raised wasn’t congruent with the upbringings of everyone in the world. It wasn’t until she began attending high school at The Pingree School, a private school in South Hamilton, Massachusettes, that she became fully exposed to people with experiences distinct from her own.
Growing up in Lawrence, Massachusetts in a neighborhood nicknamed “The Complex,” Rojas was surrounded by children just like her - they had immigrant parents who spoke primarily Spanish in the home, and they had hair that was just as curly as hers. Of all of the small things I’ve learned from simply observing Rojas in social settings, one thing has remained true: Zalia Rojas is one of the kindest people you will ever meet.īorn to immigrant parents from the Dominican Republic, Rojas had a childhood that was centered on those that shared her heritage. Although we weren’t able to form a deeper relationship before Rojas’ time at Amherst was over, she has positively influenced my life in notable ways. She is a generous figure that everyone could count on. As the semester progressed, it became clear to me that Rojas was more than just funny jokes. Though she sang brilliantly in the alto section, what really made her stand out were the witty comments she made during our down time. When I first met Zalia Rojas, I was attending my first practice for Amherst College’s Gospel Choir, Resurrect.