Heart of WP

Interim Dean of Education Gustavo Olvera has spent the past few years at Warner Pacific University advocating for teachers, leading the Warner Pacific Education Department as well as molding minds in the classroom every day.

As one of the two deans of color in the state of Oregon, leading a university education program, Olvera describes his passion for advocacy in equity and inclusion.

Olvera was born in one of the five largest cities in the world, Mexico City, Mexico. His family migrated to the United States when he was seven years old. Even at that age, Olvera was interested in becoming a teacher, but because this dream seemed distant into the future, he went with his natural abilities. Olvera said, “As early as I can remember, I have always loved school. As a result, I have always been determined to succeed in spite of any hurdles that have come along the way.” Discovering his artistic abilities in high school, he decided that art school would be a smart next step. He spent his undergraduate years in digital filmmaking at the Art Institute of Portland, and within a few years’ time, he was working in the film industry.

However, the Lord had a different plan for him.

With an opportunity to lead an after-school film club at a local high school, he soon found himself serving as an instructional assistant at all six of the district’s elementary schools, directly supporting the academic needs of migrant students. This is where Olvera discovered his true passion for education. “I could see myself represented in each one of the elementary students I worked with, and I deeply understood the challenges they were facing inside an education system that was not set up to meet their unique needs as diverse students. I truly believe that our Lord Jesus Christ placed me in that environment to present me with my gifts as an educator.” With this newfound call on his life, he decided to earn his Master of Arts in Teaching and began working as a bilingual elementary teacher in August 2009. Since that time, he has been an instructional coach, a bilingual program liaison, an elementary school principal and a central office administrator.

Olvera accepted a faculty position at Warner Pacific University in 2017. He came to WPU because the “mission and vision attracted me to pursue a career in higher education. While I had spent my entire career teaching in suburban and rural settings, I have always yearned to work in an urban setting. I was also attracted to WPU because of the diverse population of students, faculty and staff. One of the major struggles in P-12 public education is the significant gap between the diversity of students and teachers. I believe that WPU is consciously working on having equal representation amongst the staff and faculty so that we mirror our students’ demographics.” As Olvera has gotten to know Warner Pacific education students over the years, he has noticed how kind and caring they are, and he enjoys their shared love for Christ. He is confident that their connection in Christ makes them great allies who will be able to support the well-being of their future students.

When Olvera took on the role of Interim Dean of Education at Warner Pacific in 2018, he took on a new level of responsibility and collaborated with many to make one dream a reality. In July 2019, the WPU Education Department launched its first two Paraprofessional Education Program (PEP) cohorts. This accomplishment positions WPU as one of the leading Oregon institutions responding to the need of creating accessible and sustainable “Grow Your Own” programs. As such, WPU developed a program that recognizes the numerous assets para-educators naturally bring into the classroom and, as a result, created a pathway for them to become licensed educators.

While Warner Pacific celebrates answering the call to create a new program to better prepare our future educators, we also celebrate leaders like Gustavo Olvera who take on innovative opportunities and step up in a time of need. As Olvera continues to serve and teach, he is reminded of where his passion for advocacy and equity and inclusion began, a small after-school film club. He continues his mission to educate because for him, “there is nothing more rewarding than seeing and knowing you have made a positive impact in the lives of your students.” ▪

Graduating senior Darbi Pink was raised in a first-generation farming family in a small town just north of Pasco, Washington. Growing up, Pink learned about the complexity of the agriculture industry as she watched the family business grow potatoes, peas, sweet corn, field corn, seed corn, alfalfa hay, grass hay and timothy hay. They also raised livestock including cattle, pigs and horses. With Pink’s father running the family business—and her mother working as an elementary school teacher for over twenty-five years as well as running a ten-wheeler trucking business during the summers—Pink and her two sisters felt supported as they chased their dreams.

Pink’s dreams included playing basketball and following in her mother’s footsteps to become an elementary school teacher. Academically, Pink has worked hard and gained knowledge and wisdom from her professors. “My experience with the education department has been wonderful. Every education class I have taken has been beneficial in learning and developing skills to use while teaching in the classroom.” Throughout her time at Warner Pacific, she has student-taught at local elementary schools and put her lesson plans into practice. Pink spent her remaining free time as a Peer Mentor and the Retention and Student Success Intern. She is known by many as a persevering person with a caring heart.

Pink has been able to live her dream of playing basketball, as a guard for the women’s basketball team. She just wrapped up four years playing for the Knights, and was a three-year starter for Coach Matt Gregg, starting in 81 contests wearing Columbia Blue and Black. She had a stellar senior season, breaking records and moving up in the leaderboards—all the way up to No. 4 All-Time in scoring, tallying up 1,086 career points. She passed the 1,000-point mark on February 7, 2020, in fitting fashion with a career-high game scoring 25 points. She will leave Warner Pacific as No. 2 All-Time in 3-point field goals, No. 10 All-Time in field goals made, and No. 5 All-Time in steals. Along with her excellence on the hardwood, she is a three-time All-Academic Student Athlete with a 3.5 GPA.

“I’m thankful for the people around me as it’s a team sport, and I couldn’t do it without my teammates and coaches,” said Pink about her time at Warner Pacific. “While the athletics only last for a short period of time, the friendships and life lessons last forever, and I’ll always cherish that! I feel grateful to have had the opportunity to play four years of basketball beyond high school, and I will definitely miss being pushed every day to work my hardest.”

The person that has impacted Pink the most has been Lexy delos Reyes. Lexy has been dubbed the team’s “sixth man,” a term given to honor the inspiration and support she offers the team. “She has suffered from brain cancer since she was a couple of months old. She is now 17 years old and has undergone 11 brain surgeries. She made a huge impact for me as well as our team, because we see her and are reminded of how lucky we are to be healthy and to be able to play the game of basketball together. We also see how hard she works to fight cancer every day of her life. She has been an inspiration and a light in our time here at Warner Pacific.” Lexy suits up for each game and cheers for the women on and off the court.

As Pink now reflects on her four years at Warner Pacific, she explains what brought her here: “I was drawn to Warner Pacific because of the location. I also really liked how small the class sizes were and was interested in the one-on-one support with faculty.” Because of this support, she was able to switch her major during her sophomore year from nursing to education and remain on track to graduate in four years. Upon graduation, she plans to move back to her hometown, teach elementary school with hopes of coaching basketball and starting up basketball skill clinics for local children. “I want to continue being involved in my community and help make a difference for the youth.”

Throughout Pink’s four years at Warner Pacific, she has learned from her teammates how to work hard on the court and remember what is important in life: caring for others. She has excelled academically and personally because of her professors, peers and practice teaching in the classroom. Her parents and sisters supported her through every mountain and valley she experienced and are excited to see her pursue her teaching career close to home. Darbi Pink inspires many at Warner Pacific to chase after their passions and slow down to encourage people along the way. ▪