friends – Voices

Snow in Paradise

Posted on April 22, 2023 by Emma Grace Howlett

By Emma Grace Howlett ‘25 I was reading the dictionary the other day, and beside the word “paradise” was a picture of Pomona College. I saw Marston Quad’s expanse of emerald green lawn, dappled with shade from the white, wizened sycamores. I saw the deep purple irises and countless camelias tended with care by Pomona’s landscapers. I saw the snow-capped peak of Mt Baldy in t...

Combatting an Erasure of My Identity: Feeling Unforeign in Oldenborg

Posted on March 29, 2023March 29, 2023 by Vidusshi Hingad

Vids in long skirt against glittery backdrop

By Vids Hingad ‘25 A ticket from Terminal 2, Chattrapatti Shivaji Terminal in Mumbai to LAX. A 26-hour journey. Four oceans in the middle. Before boarding the flight from Mumbai to LAX, my dadi (grandma) always used to put a teeka on my forehead. This red dot symbolized that, no matter where I am, she would protect me and guide me. Guilty of wondering what strangers would...

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...

Senior Thoughts: Upon Fourther Reflection

Posted on February 21, 2023 by Oluyemisi Bolonduro

By Oluyemisi Bolonduro ’23 Salutations! It’s been two years since I’ve written a Voices blog post, but it’s good to be back. A lot has changed since my fun lil’ celebration of finals week, whether it’s academically, developmentally, interpersonally… even extracurricularly, if that’s a word. One thing that’s the same: I still love the number four and using it to frame each co...

Claremont FC: Building Community Through 5C’s Club Soccer

Posted on February 10, 2023February 8, 2023 by Emma Grace Howlett

By Emma Grace Howlett ‘25 There is perhaps no greater view on campus of the San Gabriel Mountains than from Pomona’s turf soccer field. During late spring nights, the snow-dusted mountains glow a dusky pink as the colorful sunset arches rosily across the sky. It is in this scenic setting that the 5Cs women’s club soccer team practices twice a week. Composed of students from ...

Midnight Walks Around The 5Cs

Posted on January 10, 2023 by Young Seo Kim

By Young Seo Kim ‘26 You’re one of the 50 Pomona College first-year students who came early to campus. It’s nighttime, and you’re bored. The Village is closed and you and your friends don’t own a car to travel outside of Claremont. What’s a better idea than going out at night and walking around campus with your friends? It was my third night in Claremont. After going thro...

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...

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...

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...