Approaching Normalcy

Posted on 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...
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A First-Year’s Largely Unhelpful Guide to Showing Your Family Around Campus

Posted on by Emma Neeb
bowls of berries
By Emma N. ‘26 A couple weeks ago, my family came to visit. Since I’m an international student, that was the first time they’ve made the trip “across the pond” to see the place I now call home, the first time they got to see Pomona College with their own eyes, rather than through FaceTime. I was overjoyed, of course, and incredibly grateful that they were able to come to visit...
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Fall Break in Joshua Tree

Posted on by Abby Munson
Abby and 3 friends on boulders
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...
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First-Year Adventures in Southern California

Posted on by Marc Beaulac
In hockey arena looking down on rink
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...
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An Unforgettable Halloween

Posted on by Sonam Rikha
3 people in shark costumes dancing in front of a crowd
By Sonam Rikha '24 I stopped celebrating Halloween in 7th grade. What once was a fun time to dress up and stuff myself with candy became a regular, uneventful day. So when Halloween rolled around this year, I expected my normal wave of apathy to rush in. While I’d heard of Halloween parties and events being prominent in college, I underestimated how much fun Halloween weeken...
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Harwood Lounge, a Pomona Gem

Posted on by Bilal Adamjee
Bilal with 4 friends in hallway
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 ...
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A Letter to My First-Year Self

Posted on by Serena Lin
graphic image of tips
By Serena Lin ‘25 Tip #4: It's ok to fail … cut yourself some slack. (To be continued…) Throughout my first year, I started the practice of writing weekly letters to myself to celebrate, commiserate, and collect meaningful moments. As I completed my first month of my sophomore year, I decided to write a letter to my first-year self. Hopefully, you'll find some of thi...
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The Glee of Glee Club

Posted on by Emma Grace Howlett
Emma under waterfall in blue swimsuit
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...
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Adventuring Through Course Registration

Posted on by Hayeon Lee
man in green jacket in front of screen
By Hayeon Lee ‘23 I remember my first registration time my first year of college, looking through the list of courses on the Pomona portal. I wanted to double major and knew one of my majors would be English. As my sponsor group and I sat in the computer lab searching through the courses, I found myself running across courses from other Claremont Colleges. How would I eve...
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Making a “Home” at Pomona

Posted on by Arie Lewis-Pugh
5 students eating outside
By Arie Lewis Pugh ‘26 It’s the third week of school, and I’ve said the words “I’m Arie” more times than I can count. It’s strange meeting so many people and wondering which of them will feature in the memories everyone says college is about. In these first three weeks, I’ve tried my hardest to attend every event, dance, and group dinner in the hopes of finding “my people.” ...
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