Delores Raveling

Professor

“I’m so pleased about how the faculty and staff have embraced me as a newcomer. They’ve all made me feel right at home.”

From USC to PhD to SMC. Delores Raveling is still a little stunned by her journey through education—and through life. “Completing my PhD was one of the most satisfying moments of my life,” she says wholeheartedly. “I’m first-generation college for my family, and that first-year transition to studying was a very difficult one. You see, I didn’t have any role models to support my efforts, so I had to create that support—among other students—for myself. And that,” she continues, “is what I still teach students today.”

Delores reports, “When I got homesick, Mom told me, ‘Well, you’ve done a year in school, so now come on home.’ But I didn’t. I stuck it out for another year. And another. And….” It’s her indomitable staying power that Delores is determined to teach to other students who might come from similar situations. “I want them to know they have a great opportunity here to break the cycle and become role models themselves. There are others just like yourself, so reach out to that person right next to you. And get to know your professors personally,” Delores advises, “because we’re all here to help.”

Delores was frantically busy creating an online orientation for new SMC students. “This may well be able to get people up and running even if they can’t come to the College for our Weekend of Welcome,” she says. “But I’m also teaching Human Development 20, where we do a lot of self-assessment, discover areas of weakness, and cover time management, study skills, and stress reduction. Being a student is serious business,” she adds. “And the skills you learn in these classes will serve you well in the real world.”

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