Pomona College View Book [pdf]

INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH:
Why Pomona: I chose Pomona mostly because of the small school
environment. A lot of the liberal arts colleges are on the east coast, and I
wanted to be closer to home and not in the freezing cold. The sciences at
Pomona are great, which was important because I knew I wanted to go to
medical school.
Interdisciplinary Focus: Chicano Studies is so multi-faceted. I can
take courses in history, politics, art, philosophy, sociology, education. The
classes I’ve taken in both Chicano
and Black studies also have helped
me gain a stronger political
consciousness, especially in terms
of critical thinking and analysis.
Science: The sciences at
Pomona are ideal for me. I got into
some larger universities—they’re
good schools, but I think it would
be harder to pursue pre-med when
you’re in classes with 300 or 500
students. At Pomona, you have a
more intimate learning space,
where you can get to know the
professors and get help whenever
you need it.
Pre-Med with a Twist: What I like about being a pre-med at
Pomona is that you don’t have to major in science. I think there is a growing
realization that having a background in something like philosophy or history
or cultural studies is important, especially if you’re going to be in a medical
practice where you’re working with people. I don’t think I could take my
science classes without having courses to balance that out with peoplerelated
perspectives, and I couldn’t just take social sciences without having
some science and math-based classes. It’s my way of doing pre-med, but
with a twist.
Summer Research: I got a SURP last summer to do research in a
neuroscience lab at the University of California, San Francisco. It was an
amazing experience. I was working with a bunch of postdoctoral fellows
who had PhDs and other students who were going into medical school. A
student from Harvard and I were the only undergrads in a program that
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Rico Chenyek
Junior Chicano/Latino Studies Major and
pre-med student from Berkeley, California
involved doing some pretty
serious research into alcohol
and nicotine addiction.
Dance: I’ve been
performing with Bomber
Bhangra, a 5C Indian hip
hop dance team, which has been fun and a good break from academics.
When you dance, you’re not concerned about other things—you’re just
very active. Last year, I took a class on Pre-Columbian dance as part of my
Chicano Studies requirement and was invited to join Danzantes del Sol.
We’ve performed all over the area, in local museums, colleges and
community centers. It’s has been very spiritual and community building and
changed the way I spent last semester. For my final project in oral traditions,
I wrote about the relationship of dance to physical and mental health and
the role of Aztec dance as a form of political consciousness.
Becoming a Doctor: As a pre-med student and Chicano Studies
major, I try to tie together everything I learn. That’s the kind of doctor I
hope to be. I want to work in communities of color, particularly with
Chicanos and Latinos, and I want to build the tools I’ll need to fully engage
in those communities. One of my professors says that’s what college is
about—while you’re here, you’re gaining the tools you’ll need when you
step out into the real world.
➢ encourage collaboration, and many
students continue working together after
class, forming study groups that meet in the
residence halls, in lounges and computer labs
and over laptops and shakes at the Coop
Fountain.
Students come to Pomona from every
state in the nation and from many other
countries, from private and public schools,
from large cities, suburbs and towns so small
they don’t appear on most maps. Our
student body is almost exactly half men, half
women. More than one-third are students of
color, and a substantial portion—across all
ethnic backgrounds—are in the first
generation of their families to attend a fouryear
college or university.
To maintain the remarkable strength and variety of
Pomona’s student body, the College’s financial resources are
critical. For U.S. citizens and permanent residents, admission
decisions are made without consideration of a student’s
financial circumstances. More than half of Pomona’s students
receive financial aid from the College to support their study,
and the College meets 100 percent of the demonstrated
financial need of every enrolled student. Since 2008, all
financial aid awards have been a combination of scholarships
and grants. There are no loans to be repaid—ever. This practice
of meeting full demonstrated need, without loans, ensures that
the most capable students will always be able to enroll at
Pomona regardless of their financial circumstances.
www.pomona.edu/admissions
As you’d imagine, the qualities that distinguish Pomona
College students don’t go unnoticed in the outside world.
Working with faculty, our students are regularly listed as coauthors
in academic journals. They also routinely receive an
array of competitive fellowships and awards, including
Watsons, Rhodes, Marshalls, Trumans and Mellons. Pomona’s
medical, law and other professional school placements
consistently run far above the national average.
But the true measure of Pomona College students is that
they defy measure. Their potential is practically boundless, and
so is the scope of their accomplishments —both here and in
their lives after graduation.
DIFFERENT PASSIONS:
Meredith Course
Sophomore Neuroscience Major
from Olympia, Washington
Research: I live and breathe it. When I first came here I knew I
wanted to study neuroscience and do research. I started in Professor Karl
Johnson’s lab during the summer of my freshman year, and I’ve worked
with him since then. We’re studying specific genetic mutations in fruit flies.
Professor Johnson is the quintessential Pomona professor. He’s an incredible
mentor and has been a huge part of my experience here.
The Lab: It’s a little sanctuary, a home away from home. We joke
about living there. Our lab, where I work with five other students, is in the
Seaver Biology Building and has a study room with a couch and a kitchen. I
feel so lucky every time I walk into the building. It’s not only beautiful, but
we have access to equipment that allows us to do a very high caliber of
science.
Music: There was a time when I thought I’d have to make a choice
between a music conservatory and a liberal arts college. If I’d continued
with music as a profession, I think it would have become one of those
things you have to do. Instead it’s become my passion, my emotional
conduit. There are so many incredible musicians at Pomona. You can always
find someone to play with. I also have a second mentor in my cello teacher
Robin Lebow. He knows I love music and wants to encourage that, but he
also understands that I’m a science student.
Language and Lunch: I live in the French Hall in Oldenborg. I
took a lot of French before coming to Pomona, but because I don’t have
time right now, I go to the language lunches and study events. It makes
you speak a ton of French with other students, which has given me a lot
more confidence in my language abilities.
Novels: I’m taking British Novel I. I knew I really liked the
authors, but what’s interesting about the course is that it’s
about the emergence of the novel. I’d never really thought
about the idea that the novel didn’t really exist at some point.
We’re reading Roxana and Pamela and Tristram Shandy, which
just might be my new favorite book.
Working Out: Running and yoga keep me sane. I’m a
member of the marathon club, which is really laid-back. I take
a Bikrim yoga class off campus—which is really intense
because you do it in 100 degree environment—and Kundalini
yoga at Pomona. It’s a new kind of yoga for me, with more
chanting and meditation. It’s very relaxing and would be a
nice way to end the day if that were the end. But then I have
to crack down and do some homework.
Perfect Slice of Pizza: There’s an Italian restaurant
on Indian Hill. It serves a pizza with Kalamata olives, Italian
ham, artichokes, mushrooms and a crust that’s so good it
melts in your mouth.
The Sun: Coming from Washington, it’s innate to me
that if it’s sunny, you have to drop everything and run
outside. That’s another reason I like Seaver. There’s a big
glass cube with a sunny room, where you’re surrounded by
all this natural light. It’s great because I can be inside
soaking up the sun, but still have a desk. I’ve never thought
of myself as a beach girl, but there’s this beach I like to go to
near Laguna that’s kind of out of the way. There’s something
to be said for just lying in the sand near the water.
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