Pepperdine Alums share Peace Corps Experience

The Unfolding

It all started in 1960, when Presidential candidate John F. Kennedy urged students at the University of Michigan to take their calls of service out into developing countries—to see the world, to serve their country and to work toward peace.

His challenge of service brought forth the establishment of the international organization, today known as the Peace Corps. Since its formation, over 200,000 volunteers have taken Kennedy’s challenge to heart—including Pepperdine alumnus couple Ryan and Lindsay Dapremont.

Having served in a volunteer capacity during their time at Pepperdine, the couple was already well acquainted with Matthew 10:8, “Freely ye received, freely give.” But after graduating and spending a few years in the work force, they decided to take their service overseas and in 2010, they took a bold step and moved to Suriname to begin their work.

“Going into this experience as a couple has been a tremendous challenge for us but I’d say it has also been an equally tremendous blessing,” Ryan said. “As we’ve dealt with the standard ups and downs of Peace Corps service, it’s been wonderful to know that my best friend is experiencing the same feelings right along side me.”

The couple met in the summer of 2006, while working at Special Programs. Ryan was a Telecomm major and Lindsay a double major of International Studies and Spanish. They later married in 2009, after having graduated from Pepperdine in 2007.

Making a Difference

Since beginning work with the Peace Corps, the Dapremonts have been able to work on numerous projects including female empowerment camps for ages 12-15 and integrating into and working alongside locals. Though the work that they have accomplished is concentrated, the impact on members of the local culture is immeasurable.

“There’s no doubt that we are making a difference and it’s not always necessarily through project work that we do so,” Ryan said. “Even just being a presence in someone’s life, allowing them to gain a better understanding about and appreciation for what an American is like makes a difference.”

He continued, “When you layer that onto the various development projects, trainings, and capacity building exercises we have implemented during our time here, it’s clear that we are impacting peoples’ lives.”

When reflecting on their most memorable experiences while in Suriname, Lindsay explained that while participating in empowerment camps, the couple has been able to share their relationship story with the Saramaccan people, as well as their views on marriage and gender roles.

“Being careful not to impose our views on others, we simply demonstrate that various cultures and various couples choose their own relationship path, encouraging the girls to make positive decisions, whatever they might choose.”

Ryan added that participating in a local burial ceremony, in which only a select group of people are able to handle the funeral proceedings, made himself and Lindsay feel, for the first time, both accepted and “completely integrated into our community.”

Peace Corps Couple

While the couple spoke very positively about their time together in a volunteer capacity, they also explained that their shared service has brought both blessings and trials.

“Serving in the Peace Corps as a couple has many advantages but there are also additional challenges,” Lindsay said. “We have a built in support system, which is invaluable during this often stressful and trying experience. However, learning the local language is more difficult with couples because we are not forced to speak it all of the time. Integration can be tricky because the local culture demands we both adhere to its gender roles and marriage model when ours is extremely dissimilar.”

Though, collectively, the couple agrees that their experience with the Peace Corps is one that has changed their lives and will be able to shape the lives of the Saramaccan people.

“Our goal here isn’t to change the world,” Ryan said. “We do small projects with a small village in a small country knowing full well that we will likely never see the vast majority of the positive developments of our work. Our goal here, indeed the goal of all Peace Corps volunteers, is to plant seeds that will one day lead to sustainable development.It may take years or it may take decades, but the work we are doing here, the seeds we have planted, will undoubtedly bear fruit.”

Lindsay expanded. “Perhaps the greatest gift is yet to come, however, when we re-integrate back into the U.S. Like all Peace Corps volunteers, we have each grown, changed and experienced things that are impossible to explain to people back home. It will be wonderfully comforting to have each other to understand what we have been through during our life abroad and to look forward to our life together in the future.”

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Perrin named President of Lubbock Christian University

Following 20 years of service to Pepperdine University, Vice School of Law Dean Tim Perrin was appointed President of Lubbock Christian University. 

The Man behind the Career

The best piece of advice Tim Perrin, Vice Dean at the School of Law, ever received is to focus on improving the lives of others.

“’It’s not about you,’ he quoted, ‘opportunities to lead are calls to service.’” The significance of this statement has largely defined Perrin’s time at Pepperdine, as well as his overall outlook on teaching. Over the years, Perrin has worked hard to improve both the lives and academic careers of students at Pepperdine’s School of Law.

His next adventure takes him back to Lubbock, Texas, the location of his newly appointed position as president of Lubbock Christian University, his alma mater.

After 20 years at Pepperdine, Perrin still vividly remembers back in 2002 when the Law School’s trial team won the tournament of champions in Austin, Texas. He cherishes the time that he shared with the faculty and students at the School of Law. Announced Feb. 3 by LCU Chancellor Ken Jones, Perrin will assume his duties June 1, 2012 as the sixth president of Lubbock Christian University, a position that he feels both honored and excited to undertake.

“It’s a very rare circumstance to be asked by your alma mater to come back and serve in a leadership capacity,” Perrin said. “My family is deeply invested in Lubbock Christian University—both my parents taught there and all my siblings attended school there. It’s a place that my family has been very deeply connected with almost from the very beginning of the school’s existence.”

A Lawyer in the Making

After graduating from LCU in 1984, Perrin went on to earn his law degree at Texas Tech School of Law. Since coming to Pepperdine in 1992, he has served as an associate provost, professor of law and vice dean.

Perrin developed a passion for law in the seventh grade when his oldest brother went off to law school.  As well, his parent’s connections to LCU made the decision to attend the university seem like an ideal fit. His mom taught English and his dad taught History, as well as coached basketball for his first 8 years before becoming a full time history professor at LCU.

“I feel such a calling to be a teacher and it was deeply put into my heart by my parent as I watched them as a young person,” Perrin expressed. “It feels right. Passion I think starts with the heart. It’s deep and it’s an attitude that is a total commitment, total engagement. When you’re passionate about something it brings you joy.”

Throughout his time at Pepperdine, Perrin has grown in his love for the school and its ability to shape both the lives of students and faculty.

Pepperdine at Heart

“For me, Pepperdine has been a great teacher. I came here to teach. I came here to serve, and it turns out that I was the student. I came here to try to host students and it turns out that I was the guest and they hosted me. How has Pepperdine changed my life? The answer is in almost every way.”

President Andrew K. Benton commented in a press release about the impact that Perrin has left on the university.

“We will be sad to bid farewell to our esteemed colleague, Tim Perrin,” commented Benton. “He and his wife, Lucy have enriched our campus community for the past 20 years and his scholarship and seasoned administrative leadership will be greatly missed. The pain of our loss is eased just a bit anticipating the great contribution he will make at our sister university in Lubbock.”