Featured Alumni: Rebecca Rivas
A Degree Rich
in Support
Rebecca Rivas was nine years old the first time she visited Salt Lake City from her home in the Bay Area and when she set eyes on the University of Utah campus, she knew she was going to attend school there. She stuck to her word and graduated from the U with honors in linguistics and Spanish in 2020 as a single mother during a global pandemic. Rebecca’s mom immigrated from El Salvador to California and her mother had always assumed she would go to college near their home. While Rebecca’s early commitment to the U was stressful for her mom (both because of the cost of out-of-state tuition and being far from home), she continued to provide unconditional support for that dream.
Once Rebecca started at the U, she was drawn to the humanities instantly. She declared a major in Spanish and immediately noticed how much deeper and comprehensive the coursework was from her high school experience. “In high school, Spanish classes were mostly grammar centered. The courses at the U were rich with culture and history and I wanted to know more,” she said. Her love of language drew her to add linguistics as a double major.
As a project manager for a language services provider, Rebecca incorporates much of her educational experience in her day-to-day responsibilities. “I work with people from all around the world, and it’s easier to understand different cultural backgrounds as well as different tones within an email, for example, and I strongly attribute my understanding to the knowledge I gained from my linguistics courses.”
Rebecca credits part of her educational success to dedicated faculty such as linguistics professors Rachel Hayes-Harb, Randall Eggert, and Shannon Barrios. While trying to complete her degree during the pandemic, her stepfather passed away. “They were there to support me through the difficulty of watching my supportive stepfather, Steven Grimes, pass away from COVID-19. They didn’t owe me anything, but they always checked in with me and asked me what I needed.”
The support Rebecca received made a lasting impact and she and her family wanted to give back to the college. They created the first endowed scholarship in the linguistics department in honor of her stepfather called the Steven and Mercy Grimes Endowed Scholarship. “My stepfather would always tell people ‘My stepdaughter is going to the number one university in the nation!’” In 2022, the U awarded the inaugural Grimes Scholarship to a student in need and it will continue to support hardworking students in linguistics.
Featured Alumni: Rebecca Rivas
A Degree Rich in Support
Rebecca Rivas was nine years old the first time she visited Salt Lake City from her home in the Bay Area and when she set eyes on the University of Utah campus, she knew she was going to attend school there. She stuck to her word and graduated from the U with honors in linguistics and Spanish in 2020 as a single mother during a global pandemic. Rebecca’s mom immigrated from El Salvador to California and her mother had always assumed she would go to college near their home. While Rebecca’s early commitment to the U was stressful for her mom (both because of the cost of out-of-state tuition and being far from home), she continued to provide unconditional support for that dream.
Once Rebecca started at the U, she was drawn to the humanities instantly. She declared a major in Spanish and immediately noticed how much deeper and comprehensive the coursework was from her high school experience. “In high school, Spanish classes were mostly grammar centered. The courses at the U were rich with culture and history and I wanted to know more,” she said. Her love of language drew her to add linguistics as a double major.
As a project manager for a language services provider, Rebecca incorporates much of her educational experience in her day-to-day responsibilities. “I work with people from all around the world, and it’s easier to understand different cultural backgrounds as well as different tones within an email, for example, and I strongly attribute my understanding to the knowledge I gained from my linguistics courses.”
Rebecca credits part of her educational success to dedicated faculty such as linguistics professors Rachel Hayes-Harb, Randall Eggert, and Shannon Barrios. While trying to complete her degree during the pandemic, her stepfather passed away. “They were there to support me through the difficulty of watching my supportive stepfather, Steven Grimes, pass away from COVID-19. They didn’t owe me anything, but they always checked in with me and asked me what I needed.”
The support Rebecca received made a lasting impact and she and her family wanted to give back to the college. They created the first endowed scholarship in the linguistics department in honor of her stepfather called the Steven and Mercy Grimes Endowed Scholarship. “My stepfather would always tell people ‘My stepdaughter is going to the number one university in the nation!’” In 2022, the U awarded the inaugural Grimes Scholarship to a student in need and it will continue to support hardworking students in linguistics.
confided that I was pregnant and struggling,” she reflected. “They were there to support me as I had my daughter, Quinn, and through the difficulty of watching my wonderful and supportive stepfather, Steve Grimes, pass away from COVID-19. They didn’t owe me anything, but they always checked in with me and asked me what I needed.”
The support Rebecca received made a lasting impact and she and her family wanted to give back to the college. They created the first endowed scholarship in the linguistics department in honor of her stepfather called the Steven and Mercy Grimes Endowed Scholarship. “My stepfather would always tell people ‘My stepdaughter is going to the number one university in the nation!’” In 2022, the U awarded the inaugural Grimes Scholarship to a student in need and it will continue to support hardworking students in linguistics.