Staying grounded key to success: QF freshman

‘Be yourself’…‘Work hard’…‘Make time for your family’…‘Appreciate the ordinary’

Clichés as they are, certain oft-repeated phrases resonate deeper when uttered by people who have tasted success early on in their lives. Such as Rogsh Emmanuel Garcia. 

The 18-year-old – a freshman at Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar, a Qatar Foundation partner university – is an accomplished artist and musician, and a familiar face in the local art and music scene. 

To date, he’s exhibited his paintings and performed solos in Doha, in the Philippines, and more recently in Georgia, at an International Folklore Festival – Rhythms of Spring – where two of his artworks titled Wrinkled Laughter and My Life: My Home, were selected to be displayed in prestigious cultural venues in Tbilisi. 

Garcia’s innate aptitudes for fine art and music were apparent early on, prompting his parents to enroll him at the International Academy of Intercultural Development (IAID) when he was 8 years old. 

And, as opportunities to perform and exhibit in public came his way, it was only a matter of time before he was garnering appreciation for his maturing style and interpretation of social and culture themes. 

Some of his key achievements include the popular Toyota Dream Car Art Contest (2014 and 2016), the 116th and 122^nd Philippine Independence Poster Making Contests, Qatar Solidarity Campaign for the Victims of Yolanda on the Spot Painting Contest, Gulf Mathematics Olympiad Drawing Contest, On the Spot Painting Contest, 15^th Middle East and African Region (MEAR) Rizal Youth Inter School Academic, Talent and Skills Competition. 

In music, he received the Andres Segovia Award for Best in Guitar Performance, and placed 2nd in Qatar National Music Competition 18 and Under Percussion and Guitar held at Katara’s Drama Theater in 2017. 

Yet the aspiring graphic designer who enters university with a string of accolades under his belt, says that staying grounded in reality has been the key to his success. 

“When you’re aware of and sensitive to your surroundings, and people around you, you automatically learn from them,” he says. “Growing up in a highly dynamic community in Doha, I realized that every single person has their own share of challenges. It was how they faced these struggles that defined their progress, and their related failures or successes. 

“That realization has been my personal prompt; every now and then I stop and ask myself, ‘What did I learn from that experience?’, ‘Am I doing this for fun or to be successful?’, ‘How will this help me?’. It’s my way of ensuring that what I do, I do it for a reason, and not just because it’s a trend or fad.” 

Garcia adds that applying to VCUarts Qatar was one such calculated choice. 

“When it came to choosing a university, I looked for one that offered a balance of cultural representations,” he explains. “And there was a reason for that – over the years, I’ve discovered that art and design are not the purist fields some perceive them to be; for instance, I’ve learned that it is your exposure to your environment, and not merely your nationality or cultural background, that influences your creativity. 

“And that explains why some of the awards I received were as much for the universality of the themes, as they were for technique or execution. From that perspective, VCUarts Qatar, with its varied student community, seemed to be a perfect fit for me. 

“Right now, though, I’m excited and raring to explore the many art and design pathways that the university offers.”