Press Releases | Spotlights

Diego Borgsdorf Fuenzalida ’24 and Jaspa Ureña ’24 Awarded Curatorial Apprenticeships for First-Generation and Students of Color

Jaspa Ureña stands behind a leafy green plant and has an orange, red, and yellow crocheted circle and a pair of round black glasses over their face. Ureña has curly light brown hair and wears a white sweater. Diego Borgsdorf Fuenzalida has short wavy dark brown hair and wears a white collared shirt with a purple tie.Claremont, Calif. (April 18, 2023)—Pitzer College students Diego Borgsdorf Fuenzalida ’24 and Jaspa Ureña ’23 have received an award from the Pitzer College Art Galleries to complete in-depth curatorial apprenticeships. Available to first-generation and students of color, the Benjamin Godsill ’00 and Anna Burns Student Apprenticeship Award provides the chance to work with two of Los Angeles’ most dynamic non-profit arts organizations: Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions (LACE) in Hollywood and Fulcrum Arts in Pasadena.
April 18, 2023
Spotlights

17 Gaypril Events at the Claremont Colleges

Queer Resource Center of the Claremont Colleges logo of three overlapping purple, black, and white circles. Queer is in the purple circle. Resource center is in the black circle. Of the Claremont Colleges is in the white circle.Claremont, Calif. (April 6, 2023)—Every year, the Queer Resource Center (QRC) and Claremont Colleges celebrate a month of LGBTQQIAA Pride in April, often celebrated in June around the world. Pride Month is an opportunity for LGBTQ+ individuals to enjoy visibility and support while celebrating their identities and promoting awareness about issues surrounding the diverse intersections of queer identity. From movie nights to writing workshops to queer prom, you can find a variety of celebrations and activities for Gaypril 2023.
April 6, 2023
Press Releases | Spotlights

Grace Greene ’20 Blends Brain Science, Social Impact, and Tech  

Grace Greene wears an orange collared shirt, a silver nose ring, and hoop earrings and has long dark hair in braids.Claremont, Calif. (March 21, 2023)—Is social media our society’s downfall—or a tool for change? Pitzer College alumna Grace Greene ’20 believes in the latter. As a research associate at the social innovation lab and impact investor Hopelab, Greene combines behavioral science and technology powered by and for youth. Discover how Greene wields her cognitive science major, study abroad experience in four countries, and commitment to social justice to make the digital narrative more inclusive. 
March 21, 2023
Spotlights

Human Rights Activist and Nobel Peace Prize Recipient Nadia Murad to Speak at Pitzer College’s 2023 Commencement Ceremony

Nadia MuradNadia Murad, an internationally acclaimed human rights activist and co-recipient of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize, will deliver the commencement address to Pitzer College’s Class of 2023 at this spring’s Commencement ceremony on May 13, 2023. “We are deeply honored to have Nadia Murad joining us for this exciting high point of Pitzer’s academic year,” said Jill Klein, interim president of Pitzer College. “She is an inspiring and critically important global advocate against war and violence, and we are thrilled to have her participate in our celebration and share her powerful story with our graduates as they prepare to leave college and enter the world.”
March 2, 2023
Press Releases | Spotlights

Kai Bidell ’20: Saving the Planet Through Impact Investing

A progression from left to right of a leafy green plant growing at the top of a stack of silver coins. The plant and the coin stack grow taller and taller until the plant is on top of a large class jar full of coins on the farthest right.Money makes the world go green—or does it? Pitzer College alumnus Kai Bidell ’20 has a longstanding passion for Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investment in companies engaging in socially responsible behavior and climate change solutions. As an environmental analysis major, Bidell also learned about the dishonest practice of greenwashing, which promises consumers and investors that companies are doing more to protect the environment than they are. “A lot of industries, not just finance, are grappling with what this climate disaster means to them. As an environmental analysis major, you have an in-demand skillset."
February 6, 2023
Press Releases | Spotlights

A Full Circle (and Global) Moment for Peter Hansen ’18

Peter Hansen wears a turquoise blue collared shirt and has short blondish brown hair and mustache.Pitzer College alumnus Peter Hansen ’18 has received the two-year Presidential Management Fellowship to work for the United States African Development Foundation. He will serve as a grants management specialist, helping invest directly in African grassroots organizations and social entrepreneurs. A seasoned globetrotter, Hansen has lived in four countries besides the U.S. “Included within my role is the opportunity to travel to Africa multiple times a year. I spent the first six years of my life in Lagos, Nigeria, and have not been back to the continent since 2002. This feels like a full circle moment!”
February 6, 2023
Spotlights

Celebrating Black History Month at Pitzer College

Join Pitzer College as we honor and encourage the study, observance, and celebration of Black History Month. We will spotlight members of our community and share resources to learn more about the contributions and ongoing legacies of Black people in Claremont—and beyond. Features will be added throughout February.  Pitzer recognizes national history and heritage months [Read More...]
January 31, 2023
Press Releases | Spotlights

Pitzer Students Awarded for Exceptional Community Engagement

Danika Petit has long straight maroon red hair and poses with a large black dog with pointy ears and a small brown dog with floppy ears.Pitzer College’s Community Engagement Center has recognized nine students with the Fall 2022 Kallick Community Service Award. Provided by Pitzer alum Deborah Kallick ’78, the $500 award goes to students who have completed 100 or more community engagement hours during the academic year. From mental health care, to composting, to voter engagement, to partnerships with Indigenous communities, these Pitzer students exude passion for social change no matter where they work.
January 20, 2023
Spotlights

Seed by Seed: Pitzer Students Preserve a Rare Ecosystem on Campus

Zoë Wong-VanHaren leans over a bush as she cuts a branch of sets with blue scissors. She has long wavy brown hair and wears a pink and maroon tie-dye T-shirt over a long-sleeved black shirt. Behind her is the Outback’s coastal sage scrub and a pale blue sky.What did Claremont look like 100 years ago? One parcel on Pitzer College’s campus gives us a glimpse: the Outback Preserve. Home to alluvial sage scrub—one of the rarest ecosystems in the world—the Outback is a 3.4-acre living-learning laboratory for students to engage in hands-on science with California’s indigenous plants. Pitzer students and environmental analysis majors Tommy Shenoi ’24 and Zoë Wong-VanHaren ’25 have made the Outback a passion in action with the California Botanic Garden and Pitzer’s Robert Redford Conservancy's help.
January 19, 2023