When Khalab Blagburn ’27 reflects on the moments in his life that paved his academic path to—and through—Pomona College, he hears his Eritrean great grandmother greeting him and his cousins with a single word in her distinct accent:
“Degree.”
“That was the one English word she knew and would always say without fail,” the rising senior recalls. “It’s moments like those where I think everything is really coming together, and it makes sense that I’m here now pursuing my interests because of the role education has played in my life.”
Blagburn won a $35,000 Beinecke Scholarship last month to support his graduate education.
The cognitive science and mathematics double major is the first Pomona student since 2013 to receive the prize, which has been awarded annually to outstanding juniors in the social sciences, arts and humanities since 1975.
“I’m thankful and the recognition is great,” Blagburn says, “but the financial support is amazing and a testament to the people around me, the opportunities I’ve pursued and the work I’ve put in. It’s a great feeling.”
Blagburn traveled west from his native Washington, D.C., to join a diverse student body and collaborate with professors in intimate classroom settings.
Between the support he received immediately from College faculty and advisors, “It really felt like Pomona was investing in us and saw great potential for the people we could become,” he says.
Blagburn started working in the lab of Eric Hurley, professor of psychological science and Africana studies, as a sophomore, and before long, Hurley says, Blagburn earned the opportunity to run point on a project about verve—the level, intensity and variability of immediate and environmental sensate simulation a person prefers and in which they are able to function optimally—in African American culture.
“Khalab thinks creatively about what may be needed, asks good questions and always follows up,” Hurley says. “Not only do I not worry about or monitor him concerning assigned responsibilities, but he is also more likely to show up to meetings prepared in a way that keeps me on my toes.”
In addition to Hurley, Blagburn credits Travis Brown, director of the Institute for Inclusive Excellence, and Professors of Mathematics and Statistics Jo Hardin and Gabe Chandler for supporting his ambitions.
As a child, Blagburn was attracted to optical illusions and magic, eternally interested in how perception is constructed.
At Pomona, he says he’s used that childhood fascination to “pivot toward education, examining how students’ perceived social conditions shape psychological constructs like achievement motivation and sense of belonging, which, in turn, influence academic outcomes.”
Blagburn, a right back on the Sagehens men’s soccer team, plans to earn a Ph.D. in education with a focus on educational psychology.
“I’m interested in conducting social psychological interventions to support underserved and minoritized students,” he says. “Then after my Ph.D., I’m eager to work within or with academic institutions to lead program development, curriculum development, and to make sure those students are being met where they need support.”