LIDA MANUKYAN
Staff Writer
“Currently, I am the old timer.” These are the words of Professor Darlene S. Rivas, explaining her role at Pepperdine University. Rivas is all of 46 years old.
“When I first began working here, I was the brand new colleague,” Rivas explained of the history program. “Eleven years have passed, and I have seen death and retirement, and now feel that I am the historical memory of where we have been and where we are going.”
Associate Professor of history and Latin American studies, Rivas has an impressive academic record: A doctorate in United States and Latin American history from Vanderbilt University, a master’s in history from Sam Houston University and a bachelor’s in American Studies from Harding University.
She revealed that she always saw herself working with young adults, more specifically, “Developing and being supportive of people transitioning to adulthood.”
Rivas’ teaching philosophy arises from her desire to challenge her students: “I assume that they want to grow. I make sure to help them and communicate to them that we are there to learn together.”
Her efforts are certainly respected in the professional field, as evident from the words of her colleague, Stewart Davenport, who describes her as having “A rigorous work-ethic,” along with “competence in the field, love for the subject and love for students.”
Rivas’ students respect her diligence as well. “Dr. Rivas has high standards,” Katherine Chang, a direct study junior, explained. “But she is actively committed to helping you meet them.”
Another student, Melissa Herr, agreed: “I have never had a teacher who I respected and admired so much. She has driven me to grow intellectually, spiritually and personally and I feel most compelled by her to demonstrate my commitment to and knowledge of my discipline.”
Rivas also has her hands full with work outside the classroom. She is currently researching the history of programs of economic and technological assistance to Latin America, that hoped to transform underdeveloped areas throughout the region. Her passion for the subjects she teaches drove her to publish a book, “Missionary Capitalist: Nelson Rockefeller in Venezuela,” and document the presence of anti-Americanism in Latin America.
Sadly, several years ago, Rivas experienced a shocking tragedy. One weekend in September 2003, Rivas’ husband and son were traveling to a youth retreat with three other passengers when their car was struck head-on by a 19-year-old drunk driver who was driving on the wrong side of the road. Although her husband and son, both named Michael, survived, the accident took the life of one of the passengers, 15-year-old Kim Kimble-Gast.
“When the accident happened, I was the one who needed to be strong and get through this difficult time,” Rivas explained. “The truth is, I felt more able to do what needed to be done than I could have ever imagined.”
Corinthians 10:13, states: “God is faithful, and He will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing He will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.” Rivas adheres strongly to her faith, and acknowledges the role of God during that difficult time in her life in particular. “I look back and that’s one of the things that amazes me: that God gave me what I needed.”
Rivas confessed that it is sometimes tough for her to see God’s role in the accident: “We are in difficult circumstances. I don’t think God caused it to happen, but God certainly did not stop it.”
“I believe, however,” she continued. “The response is not: Why me? It just gets you nowhere. But, where do I go from here and how do I grow? Those questions take us somewhere.”
Rivas’ son, who lost his left leg below the knee in the collision, expressed how supportive his mother has been: “At the beginning, she spent every night at the hospital,” he acknowledged. “It was reassuring that she was there for me.”
Rivas offered her son many words of wisdom as he recovered physically and spiritually. The words that meant most to the younger Michael were found in Isaiah 40:31, which states: “Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.”
“This verse can be seen in both a physical and spiritual sense,” Rivas explained. “I shared it with him and helped him see in it, the spiritual meaning. He took it as a more spiritual running and walking, and I think that’s what gave him hope.”
According to Rivas, Michael and the entire family are still in the process of recovery. “It is an ongoing thing, and Michael deals with it every day of his life, as do my husband and I. This is a reminder to all of us of how fragile life is and it should not be wasted.”
True to her diligent nature, Rivas continues to deal with her career and her family with strength and hope “It is not easy because I don’t have simple answers, but I do think it is important to hope and accept health and time,” She affirms. “We thank God for what we have and not what we do not.”
Rivas’ selected publications
“Patriotism and Petroleum: Anti-Americanism in Venezuela from Gómez to Chávez.” In Alan McPherson, Ed., Anti-Americanism in Latin America and the Caribbean: Politics and Culture, Past and Present. Berghahn Books, March, 2005.
“U.S. Relations with Latin America, 1942-1960.” In Robert Schulzinger, Ed., A Companion to American Foreign Relations. Blackwell Publishers, 2003, pp. 230-254.
“Humanitarian Intervention and Relief.” In Alexander DeConde, Richard Dean Burns, and Fredrick Logevall, Eds. Encylopedia of American Foreign Policy. Second Edition. Charles Scribner’s Sons, 2002, pp. 151-172.
Missionary Capitalist: Nelson Rockefeller in Venezuela. University of North Carolina Press, 2002.
“Boxing with Joe Louis: Nelson Rockefeller in Venezuela, 1945-1948.” In Empire and Revolution: The United States and the Third World Since 1945. Edited by Peter L. Hahn and Ann Heiss. Ohio State University Press, 2000, pp. 217-241.
04-16-2007