As he sketches his time in this world thus far - growing up as a kid in Antioch - student years at Sutter Elementary, Park Middle School and Antioch High - college at San Diego State and St. Mary's - counseling and teaching at Park Middle School and at Prospects alternative high school - and the last five years as a vice principal at Antioch High - the same themes and concerns come up.
He talks about community, service, getting people to share a vision, fostering understanding of our differences and reaching a consensus about how to do the right thing.
The words are the same you'll hear at school board meetings and in the public statements of those in whom we place our trust. But when Rocha uses whatever the contemporary vocabulary is to describe the challenges, what comes across is a man who believes in those concepts.
"Antioch is a different place than it was when I was a kid here and cattle ran on open space," he said, then noted that it's become a bedroom community. "Now it's much more urban, there are kids arriving here from the inner city."
He's excited about the challenge of heading up the high school he once attended. And while his educational experience doesn't let him lapse into some dream world where everybody just gets along, his personal and his professional life have outfitted him to do the job - and a nice pay increase, to about $105,000, goes with it.
From the time he was a student at Park Middle School he was drawn to helping others. He said his mother Mary, who gave years of service on the school board and city council, believed in public service and that influenced him.
He participated in peer counseling, which means counselors are selected from the group to be served, his fellow students. He was also on the football team - defensive back and running back - and liked it. He later coached football at Concord High School for five years, in addition to doing his regular teaching and counseling.
While continuing his other school duties, he coached Antioch High for three years, and looks like a Panther when he says they beat Pittsburg one of those years. "Antioch was a power back then," he said.
Showing his understanding of the funding situation, he notes that all coaches have to be fund-raisers.
He had children so he had to get away from coaching. His son Louis will be a junior at Antioch High this September. Three generations of Rocha males all have the same first name but use different versions of it. Lou is Louie's father and Louis is his son.
He graduated from Antioch High in 1979 - "My mom gave me my diploma" - and attended San Diego State University, receiving a bachelor's degree in psychology. Returning to the area, he was hired by the REACH project as a counselor and worked as counselor at Park School for several years.
Then it was on to Prospect High, where he taught, counseled and developed two programs for at-risk students: "Opportunity" for mid-grade students, and "Bridge" for expelled students. Rocha is proud that those programs continue today. He concentrates on getting kids back on track and keeping them there.
From 1997 until last week he was a vice principal at Antioch High, handling a lot of gritty issues. He said that his job as principal will be getting a consensus that we all have to operate by the same rules.
Punctuality, proper attire and behavior are likely emphases of Rocha's administration. He knows he will be dealing with conflicts but is determined that everybody accept the differences within the school.
Louie Rocha is confident he's up to the challenge.
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