Pitzer College Family Association

Pitzer’s first student mural began as an act of protest. Read more: https://ow.ly/Y7b550Z8gAl

A Constructive Form of Rebellion Pitzer’s first student mural began as an act of protest.One night in fall 1995, Aaron Rhodes ’97 and Darci Raphael '97—who are credited with painting the mural above Mead Hall’s west-facing entrance—made a decision with their friends: We need to paint a mural. Right now. Rhodes recalled ho...

Pitzer’s Modern Languages Department recently brought language learning beyond the classroom — and into the local community. 🇧🇷📚

Students in a Portuguese course taught by Mara Barbosa, Assistant Professor of Spanish and Portuguese, participated in World Cultures Day at nearby Sycamore Elementary School, where they shared presentations about Brazilian culture with local students.

The Pitzer students created interactive sessions on Animals of Brazil, Soccer Culture in Brazil, and Holidays in Brazil, followed by hands-on crafts featuring Brazilian flags, animals, and cultural symbols. They also prepared brigadeiros — a beloved Brazilian dessert often served at children’s parties — for Sycamore students to enjoy.

“It was a very joyful and engaging experience,” Barbosa said. “I was especially happy to see my students using their Portuguese and their knowledge of Brazilian culture in such a meaningful, community-facing way.”

Barbosa's students included (picture 1, from left): Kiara Nisenbaum '29, Isalena Amador '29, Zaina Hughes '29, Brooke Abbruzzese '26 and Melodysol Rivera PO'29. Picture 2: Barbosa (right) with Sycamore parent Marina Zanzarini.

A scavenger hunt in Kathmandu transformed how Madison Wilson ’26 understood herself. Read her first-person POV of studying abroad through Pitzer in Nepal: https://ow.ly/8fLE50Z8eyg

A Scavenger Hunt in Kathmandu Editor’s note: The study abroad experience at Pitzer emphasizes language immersion, homestays, community engagement and independent research while helping students gradually develop the skills and confidence to navigate new cultural and linguistic environments more independently.That was certainly...

No need to wait to celebrate Pitzer’s Class of 2030! Our nationwide Summer Welcome Receptions are a wonderful opportunity for incoming students and families to meet our campus community.

These receptions can include current students, alumni, family members, and Pitzer representatives. Virtual options are also available.

Learn more: https://ow.ly/rjh950Z6Wf8

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

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

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

Pitzer and All That Jazz 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...

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

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

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

Leading in Data Justice and Intercultural Learning 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...