For Sonoma State Students who knew Paulette Quiba, her passing has been a difficult loss to process given the mark she left behind in the lives of many.
Quiba, a junior business major, was killed in a collision with a drunk driver this past week on her way back to Rohnert Park from a family celebration.
President Judy K. Sakaki extended her condolences to the Sonoma State community and Quiba’s family in an email sent the day after the accident.
“The loss of one of our students affects our entire community,” Sakaki said. “She will be missed by her friends and classmates as well as by the faculty and staff who were lucky enough to know her.”
Quiba was a member of the Phi Sigma Sigma sorority, the Accounting Forum, and the Filipino American Association of Sonoma State University. She was also a member of JUMP, where she served as the Days of Service Coordinator.
Kendall Ordiniza is a junior early childhood development major, a member of Phi Sigma Sigma and was a close friend to Quiba. She admitted she’s having a difficult time processing the loss of Paulette, like many of her other friends.
“I thought it was a lie. I didn’t think it was real,” Ordiniza said. “I’m still kind of in denial.”
Kimberly Estrada, a senior criminal justice major and Phi Sigma Sigma member, said she remembers Quiba as cheerful and full of energy.
“Every time she would walk in you could immediately feel her energy,” Estrada said. “She was a loyal friend and her loss is something you can’t really process.”
“She was so loud and happy,” Preet Nijjar, a junior pre-business major and Phi Sigma Sigma member, said. “I always could not wait to talk to her.”
According to her close friends and sorority sisters, Quiba was not only a fiercely loyal friend, but also a dedicated student with a bright future ahead of her.
“She wanted to be a CPA [Certified Public Accountant] and was very dedicated in accounting,” Nijjar said. “I’ve never met someone who knew exactly what she wanted to do.”
Phi Sigma Sigma is coming together to honor Quiba’s life and to aid their late sister’s family in this time of need.
According to Jessica Aguilar, a senior biology major and co-philanthropy chair for Phi Sigma Sigma, the sorority will be hosting their philanthropy event, Phi Sig Feud, starting at 7 p.m. on Nov. 15. The event will be similar to “Family Feud,” with the registered teams going head to head with the chance to win prizes.
“All proceeds from the event will be donated to Paulette’s family,” Aguilar said. “We will also have a separate table during the event dedicated to her where spectators can donate to her family, whether that be cash donations or to the family’s personal account.”
Aside from donating the money raised to Quiba’s family, which will help them make her funeral arrangements, Phi Sigma Sigma will also try to commemorate Quiba by putting together a scholarship in her name.
“She just had such a passion for making connections,” Estrada said. “She was a person that really cared about people and I want to remember the good moments when she was happy.”
