Dominique de Fiesta
Though native to the Philippines, Dominique grew up in the American Midwest. Moving to the U.S. with her family at a young age presented many challenges, and she faced a lot of barriers to accessing opportunities in education and beyond. However, she is fighting to make a better life for herself and her family, starting with pursuing higher education. She previously earned degrees in Biology and Chemical Engineering and is now a student at University of California, Berkeley, studying Biological Engineering.
Dominique aspires to use her position as an ethnic minority, woman, and immigrant student in STEM to become the supporter that somebody needs in the future, to encourage and assist them to continue on in their path. She knows that many people face the same struggles that she does which strengthened her resolve to serve the communities around her whenever she can. She wishes to learn more about the future paths she can take in order to incorporate this goal with her professional career.
As a DreamSF Fellow, Dominique is excited to work with the LGBT Asylum Project. She will be working with the Intake Team in supporting LGBTQ+ asylum seekers with their immigration journey. Dominique hopes to use this experience to be able to make a positive change in the San Francisco community and to keep making those changes wherever her path may lead.
Outside of academia and the DreamSF Fellowship, Dominique is a serial hobbyist. She enjoys many things such as teaching herself new languages, learning how to dance, struggling to crochet, and fumbling with a guitar. She also loves to travel and go on adventures to explore entirely new places.