Dear Pomona College Community,
It was wonderful to gather in Edmunds Ballroom last week to celebrate our talented, dedicated staff at our annual staff recognition luncheon.
Lauri Bell, academic coordinator for the Chemistry Department; Asena Taione-Filihia, assistant director of the Asian American Resource Center; and Lawrence Youhanna, payroll manager in the Finance Office, were this year’s recipients of the Peter W. Stanley Distinguished Staff Award.
I’m grateful to our entire staff community for all you do to advance the academic mission of the College.
We are reaching an event-filled point in the semester, with Alumni Weekend and Reunion Celebrations at the end of this month and Commencement for our graduating seniors in six weeks.
This also is the time of year when more students learn they’ve received prestigious honors and awards. This week, we reported that Rya Jetha ’23 and Mohammed Ahmed ’23 are recipients of the Downing Scholarship, which provides resources for them to pursue their master’s degrees at Cambridge University’s Downing College. Kiya Henderson ’23, meanwhile, earned the Forum on Education Abroad’s Award for Academic Achievement Abroad for her paper on maternal mortality in Kisumu, Kenya. Congratulations to all.
Our faculty continue to offer their insights and expertise on current issues, with Associate Professor of Politics Heidi Haddad discussing the International Criminal Court and war crimes charges, and Gary Smith, the Fletcher Jones Professor of Economics, addressing the reasons behind growing distrust of science, to mention just two examples.
Let me close on a celebratory note by congratulating San Antonio Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich, who coached our Sagehens men’s basketball team for eight seasons up until the late ‘80s. Last weekend brought the announcement that Popovich will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this summer, news that is worth a hearty Chirp! Chirp!
With best wishes,
Gabi