As Commencement approaches on May 17, we highlight six members of the Class of 2026. We asked what brought them to Pomona, what their most meaningful experiences and accomplishments were, and what the future holds for them.
Luke Bohn ’26
When Bohn was recruited to play football at Pomona, the student-faculty ratio, the liberal arts education, and the chemistry and neuroscience programs piqued his interest. But what “sealed the deal,” he says, was visiting the campus from Chattanooga, Tennessee. “It’s a gorgeous campus with amazing weather, and my coaches were incredibly welcoming.”
As a chemistry major, Bohn says, “My professors have taught and cared for me so much.” He is especially thankful for the research experience he gained through participating in the Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) after his sophomore and junior years. “SURP has given me the tools to decide if I want to pursue research in the future,” he says.
While Bohn contemplates applying to M.D./Ph.D. programs, medical school and physician assistant programs, he plans to work as a medical assistant after graduation and study for the MCAT.
His accolades at Pomona include being named a Pomona College Scholar and an All-Academic SCIAC Athlete his first three years as well as receiving The Draper Center Passion for Volunteer Award his first year for his work with food drives and tutoring local children.
Without a doubt, what Bohn will miss most about Pomona is his friends. “I have met so many wonderful people over the past few years,” he says. “I will never again have all my closest friends in one place.”
Jake Chang ’26
Chang was drawn to Pomona College from Cypress, California, for the “genuine curiosity” that Pomona students had, not just in their own disciplines but in connecting their knowledge “in unique, interdisciplinary ways through their activities and advocacy,” he says.
At Pomona, he found a home in the Public Policy Analysis (PPA) program. “The major taught me both the theory and praxis of public policy,” he says. Advisors and mentors in PPA helped him develop as an aspiring public policy practitioner as well as apply to and be accepted to the Capital Fellows Program.
As part of this program, Chang will work in the California Department of Finance for the next year. His long-term plans are “to help make meaningful transformation in California’s economic and development and address regional disparities in the state’s diverse communities and landscape,” he says.
Looking back, Chang is proud of his work as a partner at the Center for Speaking, Writing, and the Image (CSWIM), an Orientation Adventure leader for two years, and an editor and designer at The Student Life (TSL) newspaper for three years.
He will miss the walkable community of The Claremont Colleges and the people—the professors, staff and peers—most of all. The students are “kind to each other in ways that matter, collaborative rather than competitive, and passionate about bridging their lived experiences with their academic pursuits,” he says.
Nathan Flores ’26
When Flores visited Pomona’s campus during the Perspectives at Pomona (POP) program, he met students who were passionate about local issues like he was. “While growing up in Salt Lake City, I realized your zip code determined what kind of access you had to resources,” he says. Flores decided to attend Pomona to major in public policy analysis with a psychological science focus.
At Pomona, he has appreciated the ways “professors not only teach inside of the classroom but outside of it through community-based work.” As a research assistant in Associate Professor of Psychological Science and Chicana/o Latina/o Studies Lupe Bacio’s lab, he learned the importance of community-engaged research as they worked with local youth via intervention workshops.
Outside of the classroom and lab, Flores says that leading the Pomona College Mock Trial team was one of the most meaningful experiences he had. “What sets us apart is that every training, meeting, deliberation and trip is planned by students,” he says, “unlike most mock trial programs that have an array of coaches.”
Long term, Flores plans to attend law school with the hope of advocating for children navigating criminal and immigration law systems. Before law school, Flores will work with state and federal governments in Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico, to build a migrant children’s shelter through a Napier Initiative grant he recently received.
“Pomona prepared me to show up as a community member in any space that you are in,” says Flores, “and to recognize the power that individuals can have on entire systems and institutions.”
Se’maj Griffin ’26
Griffin came to Pomona from West Palm Beach, Florida, as a Posse Scholar. The “breadth of classes and organizations” appealed to her, and, in her four years here, she has taken full advantage of the opportunities available to her.
On the academic front, Griffin double majored in sociology and environmental analysis, earning a spot on the dean’s list twice.
Outside of the classroom, one of her most meaningful experiences was coordinating the Black Alternabreak trip to Oakland, California, where she and fellow Pomona students volunteered over 100 hours during spring break at various organizations and “had amazing cultural experiences,” says Griffin.
She also organized the Caribbean Film Festival for three years in addition to serving as an RA, an undergraduate fellow at the Office of Black Student Affairs, and on the Judicial Council.
After college, Griffin will study for the LSAT in preparation for applying to law school, “most likely with a joint research degree,” she says.
“Through interrogating systems and encouraging interdisciplinary thought, Pomona taught me where to see gaps and how I can work with others to solve them,” says Griffin. “The Sagehen spirit tells you that you have the power to change things in our world.”
Hannah Hong ’26
Coming from Irvine, California, Hong says Pomona was the perfect fit for her to stay on the West Coast and play collegiate soccer: “It gave me the academic environment I’d been searching for and a soccer program with the kind of culture and talent I was excited to be a part of.”
A molecular biology major, Hong hopes to apply to medical school after working as a medical assistant for a few years. Experiences such as conducting research through the Summer Undergraduate Research Program have provided her with the professional skills she expects to rely on after college.
Her proudest achievement at Pomona was leading the soccer team as a captain to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament this past fall. To get there, the Sagehens advanced on a penalty kick shootout, which was “the most thrilling moment I’ve had as a soccer player,” says Hong.
What she will miss most about Pomona is “the community that brings together students and people from so many different walks of life,” along with the dining hall food and off-campus trips to Dodgers and Lakers games hosted by ASPC.
“More than anything,” she says, “my time at Pomona has built my confidence and given me the space to grow into the person I want to become while staying true to who I am.”
Filiana Kostopoulou ’26
Since arriving at Pomona from Tessaloniki, Greece, Kostopoulou has “never looked back,” adding that as her time here concludes, she is proud of creating “a home away from home, full of people that have and will continue to support me unconditionally.”
A mathematics major, Kostopoulou conducted research through the Summer Undergraduate Research Program for two summers, alongside “brilliant professors and students,” she says. “Traveling to different conferences and presenting my work was an extremely rewarding process. It encapsulated all the math and lessons I learned over the two summers and gave me a lot of confidence in my abilities.”
After she graduates, Kostopoulou will pursue a Ph.D. in industrial engineering and operations research at UC Berkeley. Long term, she hopes to combine her love for teaching and mentorship with her passion for innovation by working either as a research professor or a full-time researcher at a think tank or policy-oriented organization.
She will especially miss the Music Department, where she worked as an usher and music librarian and took piano and harp lessons. Most of all, she will miss “being surrounded by intellectually curious people.”
“Pomona taught me how to ask questions while giving me the problem-solving skills necessary to answer them,” she says.