London

Dr. Darlene Rivas

darlene.rivas@pepperdine.edu

Professor of History and Latin American Studies
Humanities/Teacher Education Division, Seaver College

Darlene Rivas is a Professor of History and Latin American studies and received her PhD at Vanderbilt University. Her work focuses on U.S. foreign relations and transnational social and political movements in the 20th Century.  Believing that play facilitates active learning, especially in the living/learning environment abroad, she integrates Reacting to the Past role-playing simulations in her courses.  She and her husband Mike have participated in the Lausanne and Heidelberg programs and are eager to explore London and the UK with Pepperdine students!

David Strong

david.strong@pepperdine.edu

Professor of Mathematics
Natural Science Division, Seaver College

Dr. Strong previously served as Faculty in Residence in two summer programs: London in 2003 (with three young kids) and Florence in 2011 (by that time, with five kids). Dr. Strong also lived in northern Italy for two years as a missionary for the LDS Church. As a result of these past experiences, he has personally felt the many positive effects of living abroad. London is his favorite city in the world to visit: the history, culture, churches, choirs, music, shows, museums, food, sports, parks, markets, buses, rain, people, and so much more. Dr. Strong feels very fortunate to finally get to live there and to help his students also fall in love with London. He is looking forward to connecting the math courses he teaches to London and the rest of Europe.  

Dr. Strong's wife, Leticia, a violist in the Los Angeles Philharmonic, is just as excited to join him in shaping the community of our program and helping you (our students) have a happy and life-changing fall semester in London. We can't wait to start exploring and experiencing London with you, and we are eager to share some of the tips and lessons we have learned during our past visits there. We hope to help you feel at home during your time in London, and we are looking forward to having you up to the faculty flat for food, games, and conversations!

Jacqueline Marie Dillion

jacqueline.dillion@pepperdine.edu

Assistant Professor of English
Humanities/Teacher Education Division, Seaver College

Dr. Dillion earned her PhD in English at the University of St Andrews (UK) with her dissertation entitled "Thomas Hardy: Folklore and Resistance." She earned her MA in Nineteenth-Century Studies at the University of Hull (UK) and her BA in English from Harding University. Dr. Dillion has been a visiting assistant professor at Pepperdine for the last two years where she has taught courses in British literature, literature of the British Empire, Humanities, and Great Books. Her doctoral research focused on Thomas Hardy, and she was invited to become the first Scholar in Residence at Max Gate, Hardy's house in Dorset (UK), where she worked extensively with the National Trust. She has published a number of articles on British literature and culture, has lectured widely around the world, and has been featured many times on the BBC, ITV, and BBC radio. Her first book, Thomas Hardy: Folklore and Resistance, was published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2016.