Frida Pineda Alvear

Frida Pineda Alvear, 38, of Chula Vista, California, passed away on April 10, 2024 from metastatic breast cancer. Frida was born in San Diego, California on September 10, 1985, to Maria Edna David Pineda and Winefredo Gamboa Pineda. Frida and her siblings—older sister Elaine and younger brother Dave—were proudly raised in the historic and wondrous southeast San Diego community of Paradise Hills.

A proud alumna of Bell Middle School and Morse High School, Frida went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Bachelor of Arts in Ethnic Studies from University of California, San Diego, and a Master of Arts in Education with a concentration in Multicultural Counseling from San Diego State University.

At the core of her passion for education and learning was a deep commitment to serve and advocate for her communities. A fiercely dedicated and well-respected educator, counselor, mentor, crafts artist, activist, and community organizer, Frida created opportunities and sustained possibilities for loved ones, students, peers, and fellow community members to labor for social justice and to build a better future. Frida was a leader in the background, the vision behind the camera, the kind of visionary who prioritized the healing, wellness, and empowerment of the collective, the kind of visionary whose humility and patience inspired worlds to unfold. For Frida, it was crucial to simply show up, to listen and to learn, to center dignity and respect, to hold a safe space for those who are underrepresented and unheard. Frida would give her whole self to those she believed in.

Frida transformed communities through various leadership efforts at University of California, San Diego. Through her leadership in Kaibigang Pilipino, she developed and expanded one of the most dynamic peer support and mentorship programs the university had ever seen. As a member of Kamalayan Kollective, Frida developed classes and participated in educational and social justice initiatives and campaigns for Filipino communities throughout the diaspora. Through OASIS Summer Bridge, Frida made sure that first-generation college students such as herself felt supported in their educational journey. From her role as a student activist to her role as the inaugural professional support staff, Frida was instrumental in growing and establishing the Student Promoted Access Center for Education and Service (SPACES), a student-led outreach and retention center that continues to serve underrepresented and marginalized students in unprecedented ways. Frida would later continue her work at the Center for Student Involvement to ensure that students had the resources and affirmation they needed in order to serve their communities in meaningful ways.

Taking all that she had learned and coming full circle, Frida sought out ways to contribute to her hometown of Paradise Hills. Frida played a pivotal role in organizing Made in Paradise Hills Night Market. It is no surprise that during this project Frida had shared that it had always been a dream of hers to build a nonprofit space in Paradise Hills to meet the needs of local families and communities.

Naturally, Frida remained very involved in her childrens' education as she took on great responsibility in the PTA at Fahari L. Jeffers Elementary School in Chula Vista. Through projects and tasks big and small, she made sure fellow parents felt a sense of belonging and responsibility.

Most recently, as she continued to process her journey with breast cancer, Frida worked with The Breasties, an all-inclusive nonprofit that creates community for survivors, previvors, stage 4 thrivers, and caregivers. As a member of The Breasties’ Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, Frida continued to champion the values of justice, equity, and representation.

Even in some of her most trying times, Frida ensured that her family, her closest friends, her loved ones, felt affirmed, felt special, felt cared for. Never skipping a beat in giving the most thoughtful of gifts, or in crafting the most elaborate of balloon arches, or in orchestrating a thoroughly joyful birthday party, Frida was most at home when her people felt at home.

Frida's expansive love and tireless commitment to community empowerment lives on through her husband, Carlo Manuel Alvear, their three beautiful children, Kayla Anne, Ethan, and Derek, and a vast family and community of friends, collaborators, colleagues, and all those who were blessed by Frida's humble and profoundly inspiring presence.