At Richland High School in North Richland Hills, Roden discovered a passion for the arts — trying out drawing, painting and theater — and especially for sculpting, as he inherited his dad’s love building something with his own hands.
After high school, Roden pursued a degree in fine arts at the University of North Texas’ School of Visual Arts. There, he studied under sculptor Richard Davis and began using different media, like stainless steel, to create his art.
Roden planned on working as a fine artist in a studio, but during his senior year of college, his dad died of a rare disease. To help his mom, Roden began working at McAfee (formerly Network Associates) while finishing his degree. There, he was introduced to Keith Alcorn of the Irving-based animation company DNA Productions.
Alcorn brought Roden on to the lighting and special effects team working on the 2001 movie Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius.
Roden was working on the film when he got a call from his former math teacher at Richland asking him to come teach 3D animation and modeling to a group of students. This experience is what kickstarted a love for teaching.