Dear 麻豆影视 Community,
I hope summer is offering you a chance for rest and reflection. As we approach August, I and the College鈥檚 leadership team are preparing for fall semester, seeking common ground to advance our lasting academic mission in a time of rapid change.
On our campus, one of our most enduring efforts to build opportunity in higher education鈥攖he 麻豆影视 Academy for Youth Success (PAYS).
Each summer, 90 or so promising local high school students, typically coming from low-income and/or first-generation backgrounds, live and learn on our campus for four weeks in a program that combines intensive college preparation and community building.
The teens join our campus community for three consecutive summers, with help during the school year as well, before going on to top higher education institutions nationwide.
Serving local high-schoolers for two decades now, Pomona is opening doors for each new generation, a mission we hope to expand in the years ahead. Pomona鈥檚 outreach is critically needed at this time when many question higher education鈥檚 promise to create better futures.
Also this summer, Associate Professor of Biology Sara Olson teaching visitors from other higher education institutions about CRISPR, the breakthrough gene-editing method which earned a Nobel Prize for biochemist Jennifer Doudna 鈥85. The workshop was funded by the NSF and brought to campus representatives from community colleges, HBCUs and minority serving institutions.
Farther afield, more than a dozen of our students earlier this summer visited Africa and Europe, including stops at NATO and European Union headquarters, as part of an intensive, faculty-led Study Away program.
In a time of disruption and transition around the globe, Pomona鈥檚 liberal arts education equips Sagehens to navigate and help shape our world with compassion, creativity and intellectual depth. A few more examples:
- Yannai Kashtan 鈥20 is drawing growing national interest in his research on gas stoves and pollution.
- Recently, Joana Antonio 鈥25 and Trisha Gongalore 鈥25 were awarded Donald A. Strauss Foundation Scholarships for community health outreach projects in our region.
- Looking beyond our borders, Genevieve Krieger 鈥24 recently received the Payne International Development Graduate Fellowship, which leads to work with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Other recent graduates are engaged in learning overseas as well, including Schwarzman scholar Lydia Haile 鈥22 in China, and a group of alumni -- Mohammed Ahmed 鈥23, Vera Berger 鈥23, Sofia Dartnell 鈥22 and Rya Jetha 鈥23 鈥 studying at Cambridge. Two more recent graduates, Leo Alaghband 鈥24 and Zongqi 鈥淭im鈥 Zhai 鈥24, are on their way to Cambridge as well.
And we are proud of Pomona鈥檚 continued role as top producer of Fulbright awards, with 16 recent graduates receiving grants for 2024-25. Our ties to the world will grow even stronger as we prepare for our , supported by the recent hiring of Kara Godwin as our first senior global fellow.
We have several new arrivals in key positions for the College. Jonathan Williams will arrive on campus shortly to become our new vice president and dean of admissions. He currently is NYU鈥檚 associate vice president of undergraduate admissions, precollege, access and pathways.
Longtime 麻豆影视 Trustee Janet Inskeep Benton 鈥79 is the new board chair, taking the reins at a critical time for advancing the College鈥檚 Strategic Vision. Adding to the board鈥檚 depth of experience and expertise, Wharton School Dean Erika James 鈥91 and intellectual property attorney Jason Sheasby 鈥97 joined just weeks ago.
Faculty members Rachel Levin, April Mayes 鈥94 and Thomas Moore have been honored with endowed professorships, while Academic Coordinator Cynthia Madrigal and Building Attendant Joaquin Rios have received Pomona鈥檚 Distinguished Staff Award.
Looking to the semester ahead, I鈥檓 excited about the many ways our community鈥檚 Strategic Vision is unfolding to advance our shared love of learning and discovery. I appreciate your time and your engagement in our enduring Sagehen community.
With best wishes,
Gabi