Alex Rocco was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, alongside his four siblings. He attended private schools throughout his youth before earning a soccer scholarship to Rockhurst University in Kansas City, where he majored in Psychology. His early work with youth in therapeutic hospitals sparked a lifelong interest in supporting young people’s growth and development.

After a decade-long career in advertising, Alex returned to working with youth in the mountains of the western United States. In Colorado, he worked with teens through a youth employment program focused on trail building, GED preparation, and job readiness. In Idaho, he served as a wilderness therapy guide, helping adolescents build resilience through nature-based experiences. His journey eventually brought him to Oregon, where he served as a counselor and coach at a therapeutic boarding school.

Driven by a deepening passion for education, Alex earned a Master’s in Education from OSU Cascades. Over the past 15 years, he has worked in classrooms across the globe, teaching students from elementary through middle school. In the Bend-La Pine School District, he taught 4th and 5th grade students for a decade. His teaching career also took him abroad—first to the United Arab Emirates, where he taught in a public school, and later to Aruba, where he worked at a private international school. Most recently, Alex taught Middle School Humanities at Cascades Academy, with a focus on reading, writing, and ancient civilizations.

Outside the classroom, Alex has coached soccer at Summit High School, girls’ basketball at Cascades Academy, and mountain biking through the NICA program. Whether teaching, coaching, or mentoring, Alex values his role as a positive male role model and a consistent support for youth in the community.

An avid outdoor enthusiast, Alex enjoys biking year-round and frequently rides to school. He has worked summers for Cog Wild Guides and has traveled to 28 countries across six continents. While traveling, he seeks out local experiences, learns new languages, explores historical sites, and always finds time to enjoy the food.

Alex brings a grounded, relational approach and a wide range of experience to his work with students at Potentia Academics.