Rivas vaults to Eastern Oregon

“Of course, I would like to have him at home with me. But, it’s better for him to go to school, so he can grow as a human being,” said Margarita, through interpreter Mary Jo Commerford, a history instructor at TDHS. “This will prepare him in life when he becomes a father of his own family. It is important that he has an education. It is better for him to be prepared so he can build a better future for himself.”

Aldo, a second-team all-state soccer player at The Dalles High School, accepted a scholarship to play at Eastern Oregon University, where he joins the first-year program under head coach Stan Rodrigues.

Aldo will major in nursing and have a minor in business at the four-year institution.

It has been a whirlwind through the recruiting process, but in a way it is all a dream come true.

“It is going to be an awesome experience. I am excited,” Aldo said. “I know it is going to take more work to be as successful in college as I was in high school, but I am prepared to do whatever it takes.”

Getting from The Dalles to the La Grande institution started when assistant coach Jessy Watson and a few other coaches made a pitch to get Aldo on the field for a tryout.

Rodrigues said Aldo fit right in and made his presence known.

With Aldo’s humble personality and fighting spirit, Rodrigues, who has 18 years of coaching experience from the high school level to college and club level and professional ranks, knew he had a standout player and person.

In building this program, Rodrigues said he wants athletes who have a good attitude because he can help build better soccer players, but good people are hard to find.

“He came for a tryout and I was impressed,” Rodrigues said. “Even slightly injured, he was dynamic. I thought immediately that this was a player who could help this team out. For a first-year team, it is important to have quality athletes and good students. I think Aldo fits those things very well.”

Through his career, Aldo Rivas dazzled on both sides of the field, using his speed and ball handling abilities to create offensive chances.

With Rivas leading the way with 16 goals and 12 assists, the Riverhawks improved offensively, going from 24 goals scored in 2013 to 33 in this past season.

Rivas, who was a second-team all-league winner as a sophomore, earned a spot on the CRC first team in both his junior and senior years and was team captain.

He capped his career by earning second-team all-state recognition, the first for The Dalles program since 2010.

“Aldo Rivas has been a pleasure to coach,” said head coach Greg Burkart. “He is a hard worker with a tremendous amount of soccer skill. He is a quiet leader who leads by example. He is solid in the classroom as well. He has earned his opportunity to play at the college level and I am certain he will be a success as a student athlete at Eastern Oregon University. We wish him the absolute best as he moves forward in his life.”

In addition to his athletic accolades and leadership skills, Aldo has maintained a 2.9 grade point average and enrolled in advanced placement classes.

He also served as vice president of the Associated Student Body, was a Public Relations Officer and was a member of MECHA (Movemento Estudiatil Chicano De Aztlan).

Off the field, Aldo put his business acumen to work in conjunction with The Dalles Fitness and Court Club to establish The Dalles Indoor Soccer program.

Hood River Valley head boys’ soccer coach Jaime Rivera has seen Aldo Rivas on the field many times and, in one way, he is happy that Aldo will not be keeping him up at night any longer.

But more importantly, Rivera emphasized the magnitude of having Latino players break barriers in the pursuit of higher education and higher achievement after graduation.

“In terms of what it means to see our Latino students commit to further their education and careers in athletics, I hope it creates a cascade effect where we start to see more and more Latinos going to college to follow their dreams,” Rivera said. “I think the life lessons that we can learn through sport are unlike anything else, especially those lessons of working together with people from different backgrounds to accomplish lofty goals.”

While the landscape changes for Aldo, much of the work continues as he strives to find a balance between school, practice, games, studies and other college activities.

Through the journey, Aldo has received nuggets of advice on how to handle the faster pace of life, while realizing college is the first step to a greater good.

As a nursing major, year one will be just as important as year four in education, but he has a drawn out a master plan.

“It is all about hard work, determination and persistence. That’s what it is all about to be successful at the next level,” Aldo said. “You need to keep working hard. I know that I will have to earn everything, I am not going to be given anything. If I can keep that mentality, I can accomplish great things in college.”

In the past few years, The Dalles has seen former athletes like Ryan Johnston, James Atoe, Neticia Fanene, Jacob Abrams, Olivia Starks, Mike Pifer, Chaise Shroll, Kauone Sefo, Gabe Wilson, Morgan Goslin and a host of others step up to the collegiate ranks.

Aldo hopes to be an example of an athlete from humble beginnings, who did all he could to make the community proud.

“I think it is a good thing for others to see someone from the community stand out,” Aldo said. “Whether it is me or someone else, we all share in these successes.”

It has definitely been a collaborative effort from the very start.

“I couldn’t have done this without the help of my friends, teammates and parents and their contributions,” Aldo added. “They helped me from the very beginning. They are always trying to push me to the limit. I think it shows that when you have a goal and you work hard, you can accomplish anything you set your mind to. Hard work pays off.”