On any given day in the Career Development Office (CDO), some of the eight career advisors visit students who want to turn their life passions into concrete career pathways.
Other staff, meanwhile, plan employment meetups between Pomona students and recruiters seeking fresh talent for major corporations.
Still others help students identify and apply for competitive fellowships and scholarships that can open doors to advanced degrees, research and travel.
“At the CDO, we meet Sagehens where they are,” says Hazel Raja, associate dean and senior director. “We provide personalized guidance tailored to their individual goals and experiences, helping them move forward with confidence, purpose and a sense of possibility.”
The CDO’s Annual Impact Report for 2025-26 shines a light on the wide scope of its service.
CDO Impact
Helping students develop career-relevant skills
Pomona students’ career aspirations vary widely. “One minute I’m talking to a student who’s interested in management consulting and the next, I’m talking to a student who wants to go into fashion and design,” says Raja.
To meet students’ needs, the CDO creates career education programming and outreach around five broad career pathways: arts, entertainment and media; business management and administration; government, law and policy; social impact and education; and STEM and health.
Opportunities abound. On a single day in early October, students could attend a lunchtime “Considering Graduate School?” information session or an alumni panel on “Careers in Tech, Innovation and Data.” A week later, Scotland’s University of St. Andrews scheduled a master’s program information session, while elsewhere on campus, students could get help with the personal statements and statements of purpose they’d need to apply for graduate school and other post-college academic opportunities.
Engagement with the CDO may include multiple follow-ups. For sophomores taking part in the Smart Start Career Fellows Program, the commitment lasts an entire semester, with individual advising, career research, networking support and industry site visits.
Lee Mugweru ’28 came into Smart Start with no clear career path in mind, hoping the program would “figure it all out” for him. What he found instead was “a framework for getting there.”
“Smart Start helped me see beyond the next internship or interview and start envisioning the career, and the life, I actually wanted to build,” he says. “I’m deeply grateful to everyone—staff, alumni, employers and donors—whose investment made that growth possible.”
Supporting successful career outcomes
From the semester- or summer-long Pomona College Internship Program (PCIP) to recruitment events like the “Now Hiring Pop-Up,” CDO staff help students get real-world experience.
As part of a consortium, students can participate in employer meetups sponsored by Pomona and the other Claremont Colleges, featuring companies such as Accenture, JP MorganChase and TD Securities.
For those seeking scholarships and fellowships after graduation, advisor Jason Jeffrey helps them navigate—and often win—prestigious awards.
Sofia Dartnell ’22, for example, received a highly selective Gates Cambridge Scholarship supporting her doctoral studies at Cambridge University. She returned to Pomona this fall as a visiting assistant professor of biology and is teaching Animal Behavior and lab sections of Introduction to Genetics.
“Support from the CDO was invaluable as I applied for fellowships my senior year,” says Dartnell. “Jason Jeffrey worked with me on my Gates Cambridge application and helped me better articulate how my research interests connect to positive impact, the core value of the scholarship."
Graduate and professional schools are another major destination for Pomona graduates.
Pre-law advisor Susanne Mahoney Filback continues to guide students to top law schools. This fall, for example, her advisees have matriculated at Harvard University, UC Berkeley and New York University, to name just a few.
Shurui Lai ’25, who’s now attending Harvard Law School, says she visited the CDO as she chose classes and planned her career.
“The CDO was hugely helpful to me in my law school application process,” she says. “They continued to support me throughout my time at Pomona, and during application season. Susanne worked with me through multiple iterations of my drafts, helping me improve each time. I am very grateful for the support.”
The CDO’s impact report shows that career services are not limited to current students. Alumni are welcome at the CDO too.
“We had 508 alumni appointments last year; we remain a resource to alumni throughout their careers,” says Raja. “Once a Sagehen, always a Sagehen.”