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 First-year student Carlos Almanza was struggling with
his chemistry homework, so he called up Professor Roberto
Garza-Lopez. The professor agreed to come over and help him,
even though it was the weekend -- and Garza-Lopez wasn’t
even his professor for this particular class.
”In every class I’ve taken, professors have always taken the
time if you need help,” says Almanza, who plans to major in
neuroscience or molecular biology and go on to become an
oncologist. “Whether it was on a weekend, lunch, by e-mail,
phone, they’re there.”
Friendly, engaged faculty helped draw Almanza to Pomona in
the first place. While deciding on colleges, he visited
campus for a Minority Student Action Program weekend, and
was impressed with the professors he met. "There was that
glimmer in their eyes, like 'this is real and you can have
your hands in research and have fun with it,'” he said.
“They’re really willing to help you.'”
Almanza’s favorite class so far is Introduction to Genetics,
taught by Biology Professor Daniel Martinez. “He’s so
engaging,” says Almanza. “He relates it to you. He’s really
being real with the students. Martinez’s recent research
work impressed Almanza. “He’s up to date,’’ says Almanza. “A
lot of stuff that’s not in the book he’ll be like, ‘oh,
recently, this and this and this.’”
Almanza is eager to get his own hands into some research,
using the College’s new, state-of-the-art lab facilities in
the Richard C. Seaver Biology Building. But his interests
stretch far beyond the sciences in a well-rounded approach
that is typical of Pomona students. He’s a student
coordinator for the College’s intramural sports program and
is a sponsor in the residence halls, helping first-year
students adjust to college life. And suddenly he’s fallen in
love with Japanese.
He studied the language in high school, but didn’t have many
people to speak it with. Now he visits the lunchtime
language tables at Pomona’s
Oldenborg Center for Modern
Languages, where students can sit together to speak in
languages ranging from
Spanish to Arabic to Japanese. The opportunity for daily
practice rekindled his fascination with the language.
”The environment here for learning is very supportive,’’
says Almanza. “It’s definitely helpful to be with people who
want you to prosper. And you want them to prosper."
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