Alejandra Caballero Pinedo, senior political science and economics double-major, strives to lead an authentic life through everything she does. From her involvement in residential life to the SPURS sorority, the Catholic student group and career services, Caballero Pinedo remains true to herself in every aspect of her life.
Caballero Pinedo first became a resident assistant (RA) her sophomore year in Robert R. Witt-Carleton R. Winn Hall. Now in her third year of being an RA, Pinedo has been able to reach many different communities on campus through her role in residential life. Getting to know her living community is what Caballero Pinedo describes as the most rewarding aspect of being an RA.
“As a very big people-person and extroverted person, I feel very energized from forming connections with people,” Caballero Pinedo said. “Getting to know them, just being a positive influence in people’s lives, I think that’s why I love the RA role so much.”
Caballero Pinedo has also been a member of SPURS sorority since her first year. For Caballero Pinedo, SPURS embodies many characteristics and values that align with her identity.
“I think SPURS might have a leadership theme, a bold and creative and just authentic theme going for it, and I think that’s something that I’ve always identified with,” Caballero Pinedo said. “Being a leader and authentic and bold, I think that’s what really pulled me to SPURS.”
Following the theme of leadership, Caballero Pinedo serves as judicial chair for SPURS, which means she has responsibilities that often involve serious matters. Caballero Pinedo tries to carry out those responsibilities while maintaining harmony.
“I have the ability to bring goodness into my sorority because I can assess difficult matters in a way that brings peace to multiple people, or at least I try my hardest to bring peace to people,” Caballero Pinedo said. “And so I think that’s another way that I love to have a good influence, a positive righteous influence on people through helping and not necessarily correcting through this judicial role.”
Looking back at her years at Trinity, Caballero Pinedo’s involvement in her organizations has connected her to the Trinity community. More importantly Pinedo said she has learned to connect with and understand herself more.
“I feel much more confident in who I am and my values and what I want for my life. As a [first-year], I think I was much more unsure and maybe going with the flow, but I think I’ve grown a lot as a person and just developed my identity a lot more,” Caballero Pinedo said. “I think through all these leadership roles I’ve been able to learn so much about myself. I think Trinity has offered a lot of valuable experiences for me to not only connect and learn with others, but also to get to know myself more.”
Authenticity is a foundational trait for Caballero Pinedo as it allows her to connect with people on an interpersonal level.
Caballero Pinedo aims to connect with people through authenticity, touching the lives of every person she encounters.
“I think that’s really important because by being your authentic self, that’s the way you are going to touch lives,” Caballero Pinedo said. “We all contribute something small, and I think the only way we can do that is by not molding into this one cookie-cutter shape, but being our own person.”
Caballero Pinedo’s desire to be her most authentic self stems from the close relationships she had with her sisters growing up.
Caballero Pinedo is the second youngest out of four sisters and describes the impact her close relationship with her siblings has had on her life.
“I have three sisters and we’ve always had a really tight-knit family. I’ve always felt very secure, and I just have a group of built-in besties,” Caballero Pinedo said. “Because of the tightness I have with them, I love to grow relationships and learn more about and connect with people because I have such strong connections with my family. I think that bleeds into all aspects of my life.”
