Story by: Jonathan Pineda
Sitting in her comfortable black desk chair with her arms out in front of her as she types away at the front desk of the Center for Academic Success, Zarrin Paidor, an educational counseling senior office assistant at Pierce College, is focused on her computer, booking students for their tutoring sessions for later on in the week.
Paidor’s main job is to set up a day and time for students to go into the Center for Academic Success to meet with the tutor that will help the student.
Paidor says she enjoys working with her co-workers because they make her feel young and make her laugh, making her job a place of joy.
Helping veterans with education plans and their benefits at the Financial Aid Office was the first job Paidor took at Pierce.
A year later, there was an opening for the Learning Center and she decided to apply for the job.
“When I was younger I dreamed of becoming an international translator working for the United Nations,” she said. “I wanted to learn several languages.”
Paidor decided to set herself a new goal and go for her master’s degree in academic counseling; however, due to budget cuts, she only worked as a counselor at Extended Opportunity Programs and Services for a couple of years.
She hasn’t been able to continue, which is why she works at the Center for Academic Success.
“Definitely this is the last stop for me,” she said. “I probably will retire and see if I can find a part-time counseling. I will definitely do that.”
She would also like to volunteer in an organization that helps university students and high school students prepare for their next level of education or transfer.
“[She is] one of the sweetest people you’ll ever meet,” said David Deloya, a co-worker of Paidor’s who works as a Spanish tutor at the Center for Academic Success.
Deloya has known Paidor for about a year and a half now.
