Tania Rachidi ’27 developed a burgeoning interest in China in middle school, so when she transferred to Pomona to major in international relations, she decided she wanted to expand that passion beyond the classroom.
With the help of friends and classmates in her Introduction to International Relations class, Rachidi last year founded PACIFIC, the Pomona America–China Initiative For International Cooperation, which is dedicated to expanding knowledge about U.S.-China relations and fostering personal connections.
The group grew rapidly as other students signed on, and last month members hosted a scholarly conference on campus for 50 people.
“Pacific 2026: Fostering Connections for a Better Tomorrow” offered seven different lectures or panels, all delivered by top scholars of U.S.-China relations, including Yanshuo Zhang, assistant professor of Asian languages and literatures at Pomona, and scholars from Yale Law School, University of Denver and UC San Diego, as well as universities in Beijing, including Tsinghua, a top university in China. Discussion topics ranged from “Beyond the New Cold War” to “Politics of AI and Strategic Competition” and “U.S.-China Climate Flashpoints.”
Students identified the scholars they wanted to invite and then reached out to invite them.
“It’s really changed my perspective on what students are able to achieve and to what scale,” says Sarah Owosina ’29, who joined PACIFIC earlier in the semester and landed a role working logistics for the conference.
Building on faculty and department expertise across campus, PACIFIC and the recent conference are perfect examples of the kind of initiatives the Center for Global Engagement (CGE) is designed to support—opportunities to gain intercultural competence, expand learning beyond the classroom and practice collaborative problem-solving. The conference received funding from the Pomona Pacific Basin Institute, with additional support from the International Relations Program, the Oldenborg Center, the Asian Studies Program and the Asian Languages and Literatures Department.
“I’m so impressed by what PACIFIC was able to achieve so soon after its founding,” says Kara Godwin, assistant vice president and chief global officer. “Their work encompasses two key goals of the CGE: bringing together perspectives from Pomona and around the world to focus on complex issues and enabling students to get hands-on experience. As the CGE develops, it will help facilitate the type of engagement across departments that Tania and her team tapped into for the conference.”
For PACIFIC treasurer Jack Wang ’28, the most meaningful aspect of the conference was the access it gave him to experts—and the experts’ willingness to engage with students.
“Meeting with the speakers beforehand and sitting down with them afterwards—it was just really nice to get to connect with them,” he says. “They were impressed that students had pulled together this conference and were happy to interact with us.”
Several faculty members provided advice and support throughout the planning process.
Pierre Englebert, H. Russell Smith Professor of International Relations and Oldenborg Faculty Fellow, and Feng Xiao, associate professor of Asian languages and literatures and Oldenborg Faculty Fellow, served as the initiative’s primary advisors. Additional guidance and support were provided by Heidi Haddad, associate professor of politics and coordinator of international relations, and Tom Le, associate professor and department chair of politics, and co-coordinator of Asian studies.
Rachidi and the other students hope to replicate the conference annually, something the CGE can help support.
“What made the conference possible was not only the planning itself, but the trust, shared purpose and lasting connections built through working together, proving that the most impactful work, anywhere, is built on people who learn to work as one,” Rachidi says. “Having the CGE’s infrastructure—like staff help and advising—could make PACIFIC even stronger and have a bigger impact for students.”