Sam Rocha completed his Ph.D. in 2010, and his dissertation, entitled ” Education, Study, and the Person,” was awarded the Loadman Dissertation Award from the Department of Educational Studies at Ohio State. In 2010, he began teaching at Wabash College as the Owen Duston Visiting Assistant Professor, and, in 2012, moved to the University of North Dakota as an Assistant Professor. In 2014, he began teaching as an Assistant Professor of Philosophy of Education in the Department of Educational Studies at the University of British Columbia, and anticipates being promoted to Associate Professor in 2019. In 2015, Sam’s book A Primer for Philosophy and Education (2014) was named an American Educational Studies Association Critics’ Choice, and his essay “A Tale of Three Cubicles” was named the Outstanding Contribution to Visual Art Research (vol. 41, no. 2, issue 81).
Concerning his studies in the Program, Sam writes: “At Ohio State, I learned about philosophy of education as a tradition and a field, but also as a craft. I was also able to witness firsthand in my advisors Phil Smith and Bryan Warnick what being a philosopher of education could look and be like. I was given the freedom to pursue my interests and passions without feeling forced into a mold. I read widely, exploring and chasing after every new idea I could find, taking courses around the School and the University. I was challenged and pushed to take responsibility for my ideas and to accept the rigors of study and scholarship. I learned how to write and edit. As a result, the course of my life was forever changed. As a first-generation college student, I had no idea what the professoriate was or what my doctoral studies might entail in terms of a professional future. When the time came, much to my surprise, I found myself prepared, supported, and guided. I felt, and continue to feel, buoyed by my education at Ohio State in every aspect of my prior and present work. I will cherish it always.”