Ana Yanez ’27
The allure of politics as an innately human study was what initially drew me to the major. Through actors like states, governments and institutions, we have learned to express our human interests amongst each other, imposing benefits and punishments for following or defying such interests. Majoring in politics has allowed me to explore the political sphere both applicably and theoretically. I’ve benefited greatly from the groundwork that the different subfields provide, with classes in international relations, comparative politics, American politics, and political theory.
Pairing this major with a philosophy double major has provided me with tangible cases in which to apply different beliefs about politics, government and human nature. Our professors are receptive to backgrounds in different academic fields and help us understand what things have or haven’t worked historically, and why. Politics provides a different perspective on literature or content that we experience just by living in the United States or other places. Learning about how politics shapes society, and inversely, how society shapes politics, provides a perspective from which to think critically.
The Politics Department at Pomona has helped me develop invaluable skills, challenging me to think deeply about what I believe, to examine the inherent faith we all have in our institutions and their actors, and what it takes to create change. Through my theory courses particularly, I have been dared to imagine a different world; it is a grounding experience to learn the desires that people had thousands of years ago have persisted to this day. This only further drives the need for, and joys of, studying politics.
Drea Alonzo ’26
In high school, I was always unsure of what I wanted to pursue. After involving myself in a local research study in my hometown, I learned about the importance of community outreach and advocacy. While engaging with local families during this study, I was exposed to the inequalities and systemic barriers that were affecting my community. I decided then that I wanted to study politics to gain more knowledge on why inequitable systems exist and what can be done to reform them.
Learning about theory, presenting comparative case studies, and having rigorous discussions on pressing political issues with my peers allows me to broaden my universal understanding of politics. While the answers to these issues are not always found through the readings or discussions, classes like US Immigration Policy and Law and Politics, have allowed me to think critically about issues on a deeper level.
I also decided to pair my politics major with Chicano/Latino Studies because of my background and love for my community. My hometown of predominantly Latino immigrants and non-English speakers is the most vulnerable to systemic inequalities, which limit my community’s ability to exist comfortably. Pairing these two majors gave me a deeper understanding of the political mechanisms that put these communities at a disadvantage while using the historical context of Latinos in the United States to find methods of empowering and uplifting them.
By completing these two majors I hope to leave Pomona adequately prepared to aid disadvantaged and underserved communities through advocacy and writing policy that will improve their lives.
Ezra Adasiak ’25
I was initially interested in studying politics because of my high school involvement in local organizing. It seemed like fires were constantly popping up around me that our political institutions could do little to quench, and I wanted to understand why and what could be done. While I haven’t found many hard and fast answers, my professors have given me tools to parse through complex policies and social issues. I fell in love with political theory early on: reading, discussing, and making shaky attempts to generate my own, but I have felt my classes stayed grounded in history and people’s tangible experiences. I’ve had the opportunity to deepen my knowledge of things like political economy and queer politics and to develop new areas of interest like labor justice and social movements. The lessons I’ve learned in politics have proved invaluable in my classes across disciplines, and in life.