Impact of Coronavirus

All of Campus is a Classroom

Posted on January 25, 2023 by Emma Grace Howlett

By Emma Grace Howlett ‘25 Whether they overlook the Quad, lay nestled beneath an Oak tree, or hug the side of the stately Carnegie Building, outdoor classrooms offer a beautiful, natural environment in which to learn. As a precautionary measure against Covid last year, Pomona has set up various outdoor classrooms around campus. Learning outside the traditional classroom shif...

Reflections On My Pandemic Gap Year

Posted on December 6, 2022 by Emma Grace Howlett

Emma Grace with a large piinting showing blue roots of tree

By Emma Grace Howlett ‘25 I had long looked forward to my high school graduation year, 2020, as a year of opportunity and excitement, not anticipating that many of my plans would have to be rewritten. Just as I never imagined I would live through a pandemic, I never envisioned myself taking a gap year - yet that is exactly what I did. Instead of attending Pomona College v...

Approaching Normalcy

Posted on December 2, 2022November 30, 2022 by Porter Reyes

icon for 5C friend is chicken with antlers

By Porter Reyes ‘25 Being a first-year at Pomona last year was weird. We were getting close to “normal,” but the pandemic’s effect on the first-year experience was tangible. This year, however, things are different for the new first-year class and the entire student body as Pomona approaches normalcy. Staples of life at Pomona, such as Orientation Adventure, cross-campus...

Harwood Lounge, a Pomona Gem

Posted on October 27, 2022 by Bilal Adamjee

By Bilal Adamjee ‘24 Harwood Lounge will forever be for me a place of fond memories, fun, and new beginnings in coming to Pomona College. After finishing my first year on campus as a sophomore (my first year was spent remote), I can only look back at the moments I’ve had with friends and see what I think is a microcosm of what Pomona College offers. The Lounge itself—the ...

Singing Through the Mask

Posted on May 26, 2022September 21, 2022 by Emma Grace Howlett

backs of three female singers facing Bridges Hall of Music stage

By Emma Grace Howlett ‘25 When I was ten years old, I auditioned for the Seattle Children’s Chorus with a blanket over my head. I was too shy to sing my audition song, “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” and hid underneath my comforting childhood friend, Blankie. With the choir director blocked from view and Blankie’s soft blue fabric creating a calming atmosphere, I was able to ...

The Summer Internship Roller Coaster

Posted on February 9, 2022September 21, 2022 by Sonam Rikha

Zoom with Richard Gere and other participants

By Sonam Rikha ’24 I never expected the exhilarating highs and crushing lows of last summer’s internship search. Who knew that looking for a summer internship could feel like a never ending roller coaster of obstacles and surprises. During the spring semester, students are often left scrambling to find an internship or some other opportunity to fill up the long summer day...

My First Year of College—Again

Posted on December 1, 2021September 21, 2022 by Sonam Rikha

Sonam with 2 friends, all holding fro-yo

By Sonam Rikha ‘24 Stress, excitement, and nervousness filled the air as sweaty sophomores dragged their luggage to their new home. As I watched Orientation staff and student workers enthusiastically wave their pom-poms while I walked toward my dorm, reality seemed to hit me. I’m here. I’m finally here. After an exhausting first year of Zoom university, I was finally able to...

My Final Semester at Pomona

Posted on November 9, 2021September 21, 2022 by Isabel Callahan

By Isabel Callahan (Dec. ’21) Strange. In reflecting on what experiencing my final semester at Pomona College has been like, strange is the word that comes to mind. I hesitate in using the word strange, for I worry the word comes with a negative connotation, and while the strangeness of my semester has sometimes been bittersweet, so too has the strangeness been lovely. With ...

The Power of Sitting Alone in Frary

Posted on October 18, 2021September 21, 2022 by Nelia Perry

grass in background with hand holding card with painting of flower pots

By Nelia Perry ‘24 After 18 months of online graduations, classes, birthdays, religious ceremonies, and study sessions, Pomona finally opened back up in August! As a rising sophomore who had yet to live on campus, I anxiously awaited move-in day, in-person classes, eating in Frank and Frary dining halls, meeting new people, cartwheeling through Marston Quad, getting in the p...

Move-In Day, Take Two

Posted on September 6, 2021September 21, 2022 by Lucy Pan

By Lucy Pan '24 Move-in day for first-year college students is often seen as a significant moment in one’s transition to college. It’s the day when we leave our families and truly step into adulthood for the first time, and it usually occurs at the beginning of our first semester. I’d watched videos of students celebrating this step in their journey with their families and a...