When they’re not in Seaver North studying chemistry, Estella studying mathematics or Carnegie studying economics, they’re in Sagehen blue and orange representing Pomona College on fields of play across Southern California.
The fall semester brings new schedules for football, men’s and women’s cross country, women’s volleyball, men’s water polo and men’s and women’s soccer.
Three Sagehens presently in season reflect on their athletic careers, academic curiosities and what they plan to do when their time at the College is over.
Tene Ariyo ’26, women’s volleyball
Tene Ariyo knew how challenging playing two sports in college would be when she committed to doing so her first year at Pomona.
“But I was excited for it,” she says.
Recruited here for volleyball and track and field, the Houston native appeared in 11 matches her first fall season and ran individual medleys, team relays and earned all-region honors in the high jump the ensuing spring.
Ahead of her sophomore year, however, Ariyo learned she had a herniated disc in her lower back and subsequently retired from track and field.
Since focusing solely on one sport, Ariyo has remained healthy, embraced the team environment and honed her leadership skills. From the middle hitter position, she ranks second on the team in points and kills.
Away from the court, Ariyo, an economics major, runs the Athletes of Color Affinity Group for Pomona-Pitzer athletics, organizing events, connecting student-athletes across sports and fostering community between Sagehens. She also shoots and edits videos for Pomona’s various social media platforms.
Academically, economics as a discipline has always “scratched the right parts of my brain,” Ariyo says. There’s the perfect amount of math, a bit of social science, lots of puzzle solving.
“What I love about economics is how it connects numbers to human behavior,” she says. “It’s puzzle solving with real world consequences, where you can trace decisions, incentives and systems to better understand why things work the way they do.”
In the summer, Ariyo was a finance intern at Apple, where she saw how data informs the tech giant’s strategy. With access to so many professional resources, Ariyo says she learned “that sometimes asking the right questions is more important than having the right answers.”
“I gained a lot of confidence in my ability to contribute to teams of any size,” she says.
Yafae Cotton ’26, football
Before he was a Posse Scholar bound for Pomona College, Yafae Cotton, a native Chicagoan, was tapped by The Academy Group Chicago to show how young people from the most resilient communities can change the world.
“Their message is: Talent is ubiquitous,” he says.
Long fascinated by economic development, Cotton chose Pomona for the interdisciplinary mix of studies and the College’s focus on preparing students to lead and contribute meaningfully to the world’s most pressing challenges.
As a philosophy, politics and economics (PPE) major, Cotton is learning about the complexities that support and promote flourishing lives and is deeply interested in re-imagining cities and communities, revitalizing them in ways that are both respectful and responsible.
“I’ve always thought about going back home to Chicago and helping out,” he says. “Chicago has an abundance of opportunities, and I’m thinking about how to develop certain areas without displacing the people who live there. Revitalization is really what I want.”
A returning running back for the Sagehens, Cotton says the team has its sights set on winning the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship a third time and making a deep playoff run.
“Football teaches you a lot of life lessons,” he says. “It shows you how to be mentally strong and how to play with passion and for your brothers on the field. It teaches sacrifice and the power of relying on others.”
Some of Cotton’s close friends from his early football days are now in their career fields.
As fast as time feels like it’s moving, Cotton says he’s focused on staying present on the field, in class and with the people around him.
“I love Pomona,” he says. “I appreciate the sense of purpose and the community. Being here has challenged how I think, helping me see the world’s challenges from new perspectives.”
Joya Terdiman ’26, women’s cross country
Don’t get Joya Terdiman wrong, cross country meets are nothing short of exhausting, but there’s beauty in a sport that simultaneously tests your mental fortitude and physical strength, she says.
“You’re required to be super gritty,” she adds. “At the end of the day it’s just you on the course, so you really have to push yourself, and there’s something really fun about that.”
Terdiman, a neuroscience major by way of San Francisco, was the Sagehens’ top runner at the NCAA Division III Championship last year. Her goal this fall is to lead the team back to the season’s culminating race.
As a captain and returning all-region runner, Terdiman is a salve for teammates who get a bit anxious on race day. She’s calming, encouraging, supportive. A consummate leader.
“What’s beautiful about the sport is that every single person on the team, no matter what level they are, starts on the same line,” she says. “You have this really strong bond with everyone because you all have to do this really challenging thing.”
“You’ve just got to get to the end.”
As a neuroscience major and philosophy minor approaching the end of her time at Pomona, “It’s interesting to learn the intricacies of the brain,” Terdiman says, “because you start to realize how much is going on in your body and how little control you have over your feelings or personality, things that seem so integral to who you are.”
An aspiring doctor, she hopes to bridge the gap between science and clinical care.
“In the field of neuroscience,” Terdiman says, “there’s so much growth left.”