Off Campus – Voices

Summits and S’mores

Posted on March 7, 2023 by Emma Grace Howlett

By Emma Grace Howlett ‘25 Sweeping mountain slopes glistening with snow, cascading waterfalls, and towering, flowering yucca plants. Bright orange Indian paintbrush flowers, majestic ponderosa trees, shady valleys, and clear amber streams. The San Gabriel Mountain range is within half an hour from campus and offers a breathtakingly beautiful respite from everyday college lif...

Big Bear Snow Summit 101: Do’s and Don’ts

Posted on January 5, 2023January 5, 2023 by Bilal Adamjee

By Bilal Adamjee ‘24 Let it be known that until I went to Big Bear, I had only experienced snow once, and it wasn’t your typical Hollywood soft snow, but much rougher, frosty snow (the least of my complaints while 4,500 meters up Mt. Kenya, Kenya’s highest mountain, but that’s a story for another day). We’re fortunate enough that the 5C Ski and Snowboarding Club sponsors a c...

A Taste of France in LA!

Posted on December 19, 2022 by Arie Lewis-Pugh

By Arie Lewis-Pugh ‘26 Last week, I had the opportunity to go on a language excursion hosted by Pomona’s French language resident. We saw the play La Machine de Turing about Alan Turing, the man who solved the German enigma during the second World War and is also credited with creating the earliest version of a computer, which he called “thinking machines.” Though our exc...

Fall Break in Joshua Tree

Posted on November 17, 2022 by Abby Munson

By Abby Munson ‘25 This fall, I spent my midterm season thinking about Joshua Tree; the promise of Fall Break was the light at the end of a hectic week of essays and exams. With two extra days off class, some friends from my first-year sponsor group planned a camping trip at Joshua Tree National Park, which is only about an hour and a half away from campus. On Sunday afterno...

First-Year Adventures in Southern California

Posted on November 8, 2022 by Marc Beaulac

By Marc Beaulac ‘26 As a first-year, it has been interesting transitioning into independent life, especially as the plethora of activities that Pomona College offers keeps one in the 5C bubble. However, one of the elements I have appreciated the most is the activities that can be found in Claremont as well as the whole of L.A. county. During the relative peacefulness of f...

The Glee of Glee Club

Posted on October 14, 2022 by Emma Grace Howlett

By Emma Grace Howlett ‘25 Contrary to its name, the Pomona College Glee Club is not a club, nor does it perform elaborately choreographed musical numbers. A long-standing tradition for over 100 years, the Glee Club is the small college chamber choir, and performs an a cappella repertoire of music from the 16th century to the present. Somehow I worked up the courage to auditi...

A Day in the Life

Posted on September 7, 2022September 21, 2022 by Porter Reyes

By Porter Reyes '25 On a sunny Friday afternoon, my friends Rebecca, Ruthie, and I wanted to unwind without going too far off campus. Laying in the sun is one of our go-to de-stressors, so we decided to head over to Pendleton Pool. While Haldeman–Pomona’s 50-meter by 25-yard outdoor Olympic-sized pool–is also nice, we settled on the smaller Pendleton because it is the closes...

Visit Joshua Tree Now

Posted on August 11, 2022September 21, 2022 by Bilal Adamjee

Bilal in front of Joshua Tree with explanatory sign

By Bilal Adamjee ‘24 “Dude, this place looks like a scene from Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner” and “Bro, those rocks look like my MacBook wallpaper” were the first comments my friends blurted out when we finally arrived at Joshua Tree National Park. Oh, to be a Gen Z-er. But seriously, during your time at Pomona College or Claremont in general, make the time to see Jo...

The Wild National Parks Near Pomona

Posted on July 1, 2022September 21, 2022 by Emma Grace Howlett

By Emma Grace Howlett ‘25 While life at Pomona College can be invigorating, I still look forward to breaks for a chance to explore off campus and recuperate from excessive studying. I spent both fall and spring breaks this year exploring the two national parks within reasonable driving distance of Pomona: Joshua Tree and Death Valley National Park. Coming from such a lush...

Do You Love the Beach Like I Do?

Posted on June 21, 2022September 21, 2022 by Bilal Adamjee

Bilal and 2 friends at the beach with Santa Monica Pier in background

By Bilal Adamjee ‘24 I love the beach. When people ask me, ‘What brought you to Pomona College?’ the beach always comes up. The beach does remind me of home – that, and the warm weather and palm trees. It was honestly a big factor in deciding where I wanted to study when I first started my college applications in high school. I was born and raised in Kenya, where I’ve spe...