Paloma Doreza Dimaya on the meaning of her name — and passion for teaching others
By Lucy Berbeo, UCLA Newsroom
A UCLA alumna and past director of Samahang Pilipino Education and Retention (SPEAR), Paloma works at UCLA as a counselor in academic advising, guiding students through the undergraduate experience.
What does your name mean to you?
I love my name! My mother named me Paloma after the heroine in Peter Benchley’s novel “The Girl of the Sea of Cortez.” Like Paloma in the story, to me, my name represents a resolute fearlessness, a love for adventure, and appreciation and care for nature — all qualities that I strive to embody in myself and in my life. Also, paloma is Spanish for “dove.” “Dove” is my family’s nickname for me, so it also reminds me of my roots and love for my family and our Pilipino culture.
Can you tell us about your time as a student and the work you do at UCLA today?
In my undergrad years at UCLA, I really enjoyed my humanities and ethnic studies classes (English major, Asian American Studies minor) and was heavily involved in the Pilipino student community in various leadership and community organizing roles. It was through my role as a peer counselor for SPEAR and my work in STEP, its accompanying internship program, that I realized my passion for creating educational experiences, teaching others and building a self-sustaining community. Today, I am a college counselor in academic advising at UCLA, where we teach, guide and support students throughout their undergraduate journey and in reaching their personal and professional goals. I feel very fortunate to be able to work with and advocate for students from historically underrepresented and underserved communities in this way.
How does your work overlap with birds?
Birds symbolize flight and freedom, and I believe the pathway to a truly free and just world starts with education in all forms, on all levels. Cultivating the confidence, empathy and critical consciousness of our students is like giving them the wings to fly out into the world and change it for the better.
What’s your favorite bird?
The phoenix because of its beautiful, warm colors, its association with the sun, and its life story of cyclical death and rebirth. I think it’s such a captivating, powerful idea to continually rise from your own ashes — to grow from your failures, to unearth the joy from the grief, to build something new from something broken.
Meet more UCLA community members who have bird-related names