Alumni Profile: Rian Petrick '96

Principal
Evergreen Middle School
Major at Linfield: History

What are you doing now?
I started my educational career at McMinnville High School as a teacher/coach in 1996. I moved to Hillsboro (my home) in 1998 and have worked for several schools in varying capacities. I am now the principal at Evergreen Middle School, which I attended as a student in 1985-87. I have moved back into Evergreen's feeder boundaries so my children will go to school here as well.

Tell us about yourself.
I am a 40 year-old father of three children. My wife, Melissa, and I have been married for 12 years. I currently live in a home across the street from the house I grew up in as a child. I moved there because both my brother and father live on the street and have Parkinson's disease. My wife has Multiple Sclerosis so we all just take turns trying to help each other out as we battle through life with neurological afflictions. I love to spend my free time coaching my children's sports teams and if I get any personal time I try and spend it on the golf course.

How did Linfield help prepare you for your career?
Linfield prepared me for my career because it gave me the opportunity to expand my horizons and forced me to develop communication and leadership skills that I use on a daily basis as a school principal. I was a pretty reserved kid who had never been very far from home or experienced much cultural diversity when I stepped onto the Linfield campus for the first time as a freshman. I remember Linfield being a mysteriously exciting place, but a place where a supportive family atmosphere quickly developed. I had the opportunity to benefit from being around many outstanding staff role models in my years at Linfield. I also developed some friendships that will last my entire lifetime. I'm grateful for the relationships I established during my years at Linfield – in the end, relationships are what matter the most.

Read more about Rian and Evergreen Middle School in an article from The Oregonian.