Pomona College’s yearly Orientation Adventure (OA) lived up to its name for more than 400 new students who enjoyed various community-building activities around Southern California before beginning the academic year at their new home.
At San Onofre State Beach about an hour from campus, Mason Montjoy ’30, from Bethesda, Maryland, learned to pop up on a surfboard for the first time. “I think it’s something I should know if I’m out in California for college,” he said.
Meanwhile, in the San Bernardino Mountains, Moorea Friedmann ’30, from New York City, tried out rock climbing, a thrilling experience where “there’s somebody supporting you with the rope and you’re trusting them not to drop you,” she said.
“I’ve loved how everyone has challenged themselves and even when we fail, we’re laughing about it together,” said classmate and fellow adventurer Eliza Gayer ’30, of Durham, North Carolina.
A choose-your-own adventure tradition
“OA provides our new students the opportunity to connect with each other in casual and diverse experiences on and off campus,” said Josh Eisenberg, associate dean of students and dean of campus life. “When students finish their OA experience, they have found connection with their classmates.”
The three-day event, offered free of charge to all first-year and transfer students, has been a Pomona College tradition since 1995. It is embedded into the orientation program so every student can participate without scheduling conflicts.
This year, students chose from 13 experiences, ranging from “Summits to Oceans” to “L.A. Food and Pomona Dining.”
For Carter Leung ’30, who’s 7,271 miles from his home in Hong Kong, meeting new friends like Lucas Zhang ’30 of Shanghai was his favorite part of OA. The two toured the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach and went deep-sea fishing on the “Farm and Fish” adventure, which included a day at the College’s organic farm.
“My grandpa always wanted me to help with his farm, but I never went,” Zhang said. “I was thinking I could gain some skills in Pomona College and maybe help him in some ways.”
Dominick Catalano ’30 had a much shorter trip to Pomona from his home in Corona, California, a scant 26 miles away. His familiarity with Southern California came in handy as he showed new friends from Rwanda, Korea and England the places he loves on the “Quintessential L.A.” adventure.
At the beach near the Santa Monica Pier, where many of the groups shared a final day, Catalano relaxed under a pop-up tent with Seattle native Daniel Trostle ’30.
The two are teammates on the Pomona-Pitzer football team: Catalano a quarterback and Trostle an offensive lineman charged with protecting the quarterback.
“It’s my main job,” Trostle said. This season he’ll be guarding not only a quarterback but a friend.
Geyci Laura Paredes ’30, who was born in Peru but calls San Diego home, participated in the “KSPC Multimedia” adventure, which included taking a Metrolink train to downtown Los Angeles and making a short film in a group of three. “The people in my OA group had a similar interest,” she said. “It was just so nice meeting all these people that love what I love.”
On the first morning of their OA, some participants in the “Community Partnerships and Service” adventure found themselves in a room surrounded by books just a half-mile from campus.
Pilgrim Place, a retirement community whose association with Pomona College extends back more than a century, makes used books available to residents and the community at a low price. The students helped organize some of the thousands of titles.
The next day, students volunteered at a local food bank. Saleh Ibrahim ’30, from Portland, Oregon, enjoyed not only passing out fresh produce but seeing people smile. “It gave me an opportunity to meet new people who enjoyed doing the same thing,” he said. “And it made me feel like I was actually engaged in the community.”
