Championing Social Justice

Alumna Paloma Aguirre Thrives as First Latina Mayor of Imperial Beach

Paloma Aguirre ’05 (BA) found her political calling surfing the breakers of Imperial Beach. There, the city’s future mayor — and the first Latina to hold the post when she was elected in December 2022 — was alarmed by waters becoming polluted by Tijuana River sewage runoff. The situation has since worsened. Imperial Beach has been closed for more than two years due to contaminants.

“I had been surfing for many years at beaches there without knowing how polluted they were,” Aguirre says.

Shortly after earning a master's degree in marine biodiversity and conservation from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), Aguirre became the coastal and marine director for WILDCOAST, a nonprofit that promotes conservation programs for ecosystems in south San Diego and northern Baja California.

Aguirre’s bachelor’s degree in psychology from USD would prove to be advantageous: “It’s helped me to better understand people,” she says. “This is what politics is about: people.” 

Read the full article on page 37 of the Arts & Sciences magazine (Fall 2024 issue).

— By Andrew Faught

The USD College of Arts and Sciences released its second annual Arts & Sciences magazine this fall. In the pages of this magazine, you will discover exciting new programs and initiatives, meaningful and impactful stories, and inspiring student, faculty and alumni spotlights.