Rozaleth “RJ” Tenga grew up in the Philippines with missionary parents. In 2005, her parents decided to take a call to be teachers in Kenya and moved to a high elevation area where Kenyan Olympic marathoners trained at her school. There, she met her Tanzanian husband whose advisor at the time was RJ’s father.
She graduated from the University of Eastern Africa Baraton with a B.S. in Biology with a focus in biomedical. She holds an M.S. in Biology from Andrews University in Barrient Springs, Michigan. For her thesis, she synthesized a hybrid drug and discovered a new process for making a drug in a fast, inexpensive way.
RJ has been teaching for seven years, but that wasn’t her initial intent. Her goal was to be in a lab doing research and development for new medical drugs. However, after just one year, she realized she felt more fulfilled by being in a classroom than a lab. So, she followed in her parents’ footsteps and took on teaching.
Her time as a missionary kid helped prepare her for her position, and she wants to share that with her students. To get them connected, she uses her own experiences as examples of how the concepts she teaches are important in life. Then, she encourages them to use observations to ask questions.
“I was exposed to the idea of getting out of our comfort zone to reach out to others so we can help them. By seeing the difficulties that others have, I am able to appreciate what I have and use these advantages to help others in need,” she said. “In my classes, I want students to understand that outside of the classroom, they are needed, they have a purpose. If my students leave my class with a heartfelt inclination to help others, no matter how small, I feel that I have done a good job.”
Her favorite concept to teach is genetics and inheritance, a concept that helps students understand why everyone is unique, even during conception and compared to a baby’s parents. When her students notice these differences and have — what she calls — the “aha” moments, she feels rewarded. Her hope is that if she can’t do it herself, she says, she can at least inspire the students to think about changing the world and realize they have a bigger purpose than they imagine. When she accomplishes this, she said, “I seriously feel that I have done what God wants me to do as a teacher.”
Get to Know Rozaleth “RJ” Tenga
Q: What do you like to do for fun?
A: I like to cook, do calligraphy, hang out with my family, and sleep. I hope sleeping is an acceptable hobby!
Q: What is your favorite movie, TV show, and book?
A: “Avengers: Endgame,” “Supernatural” and “Hatchet” by Gary Paulsen!
Q: If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
A: I actually have one already... My body has so much static electricity from playing with electricity as a kid (my dad is an electrician) that I tend to zap things I touch. Once, I was going to turn on the light in my room, I saw the zap from my finger travel to the switch and the light bulb flashed.
Q: What’s your favorite place that you’ve traveled, or a place you hope to travel?
A: This is hard; it's like asking who your favorite parent is. Kenya is probably first on the list since I've been able to visit all the national parks, from the mountains, valleys, and sea. I've visited Masai Mara in Kenya. All of the adventures (lions passing by our tents and baboons destroying our tents) were definitely unforgettable. Also, Lake Baringo where I was able to see about one million flamingos.
Q: If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
A: Pad See Ew (flat noodles in Thailand)!
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