In July of 2013, Sophie ‘Rabbit’ Rohkamper arrived in the United States earlier than her student visa allowed, and she quickly learned about the unyielding force that is the United States Customs and Immigration Services. In order to be allowed to enter the country, the Rohkamper family vowed to exit the United States by way of rental car and re-enter from the Canadian border. They took nine days to road trip through Yellowstone, Alberta and Glacier National Park and stayed overnight in Coutts, Alberta before entering yet again to the United States.
Rohkamper credits this road trip for her exceptional driving skills.
“My parents were too nervous to drive in America, so I got to practice driving on the right side of the road the entire road trip,” Rohkamper said.
Born and raised in Melbourne, Australia, Rohkamper graduated from The Grange College (high school for Aussies) in 2009.
“I learned two things when I graduated high school: one, that I would be terrible at balancing school and work, and two, that I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life,” Rohkamper said.
After working three years as a wool tester at the Australian Wool Testing Authority, Rohkamper saved enough money to go to school full-time at the university of her choice. She chose Colorado Mesa University after a family friend had recommended its environmental science program.
“When I first came to America, I kind of felt like I was in a movie. All the movies back home are made by Americans. So it was a bit surreal being the one with an accent,” Rohkamper said.
As an avid cricket player, Rohkamper was determined to play a sport out of “fear of turning fat due to delicious, supersized, American food.” Originally toying with the idea of playing baseball or softball, Rohkamper found herself at rugby practice and fell deeply in love with the sport.
Because Rohkamper came pre-nicknamed, it was determined that she would be a ‘back’ in rugby, meaning she would be one of the fastest on the team. Rugby ‘backs’ are often described as delicate, pretty and quick. Rohkamper is an exception to this rule, not only is she the fastest on the team, she also one of the hardest hitters in the game.
For the past four years, she consistently started every game as number fifteen, the full back. Just as goalies in soccer protect the net from a ball, Rohkamper protected the try zone from other girls, and so far has been successful.
After she gets her degree in environmental science in May, Rohkamper is unsure where her next adventure will take her.
“I’m hoping I can intern in Colorado or Florida with the Bureau of Land Management or Parks Service,” Rohkamper said.
