Pitzer College Family Association

05/28/2026

Pitzer’s Class of 2026 has stepped out into the world, ready to make a difference. Congratulations to our brilliant graduates! 🍊

See all our Commencement photos: https://ow.ly/noUS50Z4UNa

05/19/2026

Congrats to Madison Wilson '26 for her selections as a recipient of a 2026 Critical Language Scholarship!

The scholarship offers a fully-funded, immersive opportunity -- and Wilson will be taking hers in the Tanzanian city of Arusha to study Swahili this summer.

Wilson's interest in Swahili began when she participated in Pitzer's highly popular study abroad program (). In addition to the program in Nepal, Wilson participated in the Southern Africa program, getting involved with grassroots women's organizations in Uganda. Language barriers made sustained collaboration challenging -- which is why she's looking forward to studying Swahili as she maintains the relationships she made there.

“The best use of my time in college has been studying abroad in immersive programs,” she said. “It’s shaped how I think about the world and the kind of impact I want to have.”

Read more about Wilson's CLS plans and more at the link in the bio

05/14/2026

Is that the next John Williams playing jazz at the Grove House? As a self-designed media scoring major, Noah Straus ’26 excels in Pitzer’s thriving music scene.

With aspirations to become a film composer, Straus is joining the USC Thornton School of Music this fall.

Read more: https://ow.ly/JARr50YYrPq

Is that the next John Williams playing jazz at the Grove House? As a media scoring major at Pitzer College, Noah Straus ’26 has become a familiar go-to for storytelling through sound.Straus has composed music for student films, fashion shows and even philosophical concepts. He has also played live...

05/10/2026

Commencement 2026 countdown!

One of our Class of 2026 members who will be crossing the commencement stage this month is Nicholas Hernandez ’26, who is combining entrepreneurial inspiration, interdisciplinary study, and Claremont opportunities to launch a career in fintech.

He's heading off to begin his post-Pitzer career at Bloomberg, where he’ll be working as an analytics representative.

Hernandez’ success comes from a mixture of things – lifechanging summer internships, exposure to C-suite situations, witnessing startups and entrepreneurism, and the older classmates and faculty who mentored him and gave him helpful guidance along the way.

Equally important, he added, has been the community of friends he’s found at Pitzer — many of whom are pursuing paths very different from his own.

“I didn’t want to be surrounded by people with exactly the same aspirations,” Hernandez said. “Most of my closest friends aren’t economics majors and aren’t going into corporate careers. I really value that. They challenge me to think about why I’m doing what I’m doing and help me see my work in a broader context.”

Read more of the interview: https://ow.ly/8gWu50YVNJA

05/09/2026

As a future clinical psychologist, Kaylene Yee ’26 is committed to youth mental health. Her next career step is a two-year fellowship at McLean Hospital.

Get to know this standout member of the Class of 2026: https://ow.ly/9Phi50YWGrg

05/07/2026

Numbers intimidated Anya Sharma ’26 as a high school student. She never imagined she’d flourish as a mathematical economics major and a data justice champion.

Yet that's how she finds herself now at Pitzer.

Read more: https://ow.ly/IChZ50YVhy7

Numbers and equations intimidated Anya Sharma ’26 as a high school student. She never imagined she’d flourish as a mathematical economics major and a data justice champion. Yet that’s how she finds herself now at Pitzer College.Sharma, who is also a data science minor, first saw STEM as a tool...

05/05/2026

Robinson Lee ’26 has equipped himself for The Fulbright Program fellowship and public service career with his Pitzer education: https://ow.ly/F2Wx50YT2S2

Robinson Lee ’26 considers his family heritage and career aspirations to be inseparable. From his classes to his internships, he has advocated for Asian and Asian American communities like the one where he grew up in Arcadia, Calif. His next step on this path? A 2026 Fulbright fellowship in South ...

04/27/2026

Shut up, I'm listening to Billy Joel! Paying homage to the music legend, Matt Nathanson ’95 has released an EP of Billy Joel covers, "Songs in the (M)attic.”

The album is an encore for Nathanson, who recently performed at The Music of Billy Joel concert at Carnegie Hall.

Photo by Tony Kurz.

04/24/2026

San Francisco Sagehens unite! Thank you to Pitzer alumni, parents, admitted students for joining us in the Bay Area.

Stay tuned for Alumni Weekend (May 1–3) and Summer Welcome Reception happenings for more chances to connect.

04/24/2026

Do safety net programs weaken the work ethic ... or strengthen it?

In a piece published in The Conversation, Professor of Anthropology Claudia Strauss describes how food assistance programs like SNAP actually function in people’s lives. The research shows, she writes, that recipients overwhelmingly want to work and that benefits can increase long-term employment and earnings by providing short-term stability.

The takeaway from Strauss' piece: when someone's basic needs get met, they are better positioned to pursue education, secure jobs and contribute to their communities.

But you'll want to read the full piece for more on what she's learned: https://ow.ly/jOOg50YGP1X

Strauss is the author of several books, including the critically-acclaimed "What Work Means: Beyond the Puritan Work Ethic" (2024).