SAG-AFTRA Actor, Middle and High School Teacher, and a Combat Veteran of the U.S. Army
Houston, Feb 23, 2020 (Issuewire.com) - R.J. Atkins is a man of many hats and a true visionary. He has been successfully balancing his acting career for the last year and a half with his day job as a Middle and High School teacher at an alternative campus within the Aldine Independent School District in Houston, Texas.
R.J. is in his fourth year of teaching and embarked upon his professional acting career during the summer of 2018.
About how his teaching job compares to acting, he says: "I feel that actors are in essence teachers in their own right because we are supposed to learn something from the things we watch on TV, film, and stage. Both jobs entail conveying emotions to others and helping others to see things and I enjoy doing so. Memorizing scripts helps keep my brain power sharp and helps my creativity which I use in both professions."
He will be portraying an instructor at a fine arts academy in an upcoming TV series.
Despite his accomplishments, R.J has experienced many setbacks throughout his life. He was born premature and was once given 24 hours to live as an infant because he wouldn't eat. He used to be really shy and stuttered until the 6th grade.
He was told by other kids as well as a couple of teachers that he would never amount to much of anything. He was diagnosed with Service-Connected PTSD, clinical depression, and was even suicidal several years back. He says "...you are looking at a walking miracle! I credit my late grandfather Ira Atkins who raised me and instilled the right set of values in me."
R.J. believes that dedication to one's craft, hard work, and perseverance will result in much success and he plans to continue doing that as an actor!
###
Media Contact
2020 Vision International, LLC
Source :R.J. Atkins
