Students
Claremont McKenna College is partnering with the 5Cs – Pomona, Pitzer, Scripps, and Harvey Mudd – for #GivingTuesday, an annual global celebration of generosity, to encourage philanthropic support and celebrate all of the #ClaremontConnections between the institutions.
From one-of-a-kind classes to extracurricular student groups, CMS Athletics to mentorship opportunities by a faculty or staff member at the 5Cs, collaboration and learning is integral to the Claremont College culture.
Studying overseas not only transformed Kiubon Kokko ’21, it won him a grand prize.
Kokko, a senior majoring in media studies, spent the fall 2019 semester in Nantes, France, studying with the IES Abroad program and living with a host family.
“I chose to study in Nantes, because you can always visit somewhere popular, like Paris, later in life,” he said. “Someplace like Nantes is unique and presents a true once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
During this year’s 1946 Challenge, we asked a simple question: “What do you love about CMC?” More than 2,000 students, alumni, faculty, staff, and parents enthusiastically responded with an engaging array of answers.
And, while everyone has their own reason to love the College, a cohesive theme emerged: CMCers truly love their tight-knit community.
Whether a favorite class, an unforgettable WOA trip, or a fondness for Rice Krispie treats at the Athenaeum, there are plenty of reasons to love CMC. In fact, the College will be collecting 1,946 of them as part of the 1946 Challenge on October 14 and 15!
For 1,946 minutes, the CMC community is encouraged to come together and share their love and support—especially for our students. Let’s celebrate and uplift one another!
Inspired by conversations she was having in May about police brutality and killings of Black Americans, Sobechukwu (Sobé) Uwajeh ’22 knew she had to take action. On the lookout for literature to educate others about racism, she posted to her Instagram account a “starter kit” of recommended books about how to be an anti-racist.
Hailey Wilson ’22 saw Uwajeh’s post and immediately and enthusiastically texted her with another idea - they should start an anti-racist book club at CMC.
They’ll forever be bonded in 2020—one class exiting CMC, one class entering—and both experiencing the loss of their senior years to COVID-19. With our newest students from the Class of 2024 starting their second week of virtual classes, our latest graduates from the Class of 2020 offered their best advice about embracing and enjoying all that CMC has to offer.
Mrinalini Bhushan ’21 wasn’t sure what to expect when her CMC classes launched online this week. After leaving hastily for home in March, and wrapping up the spring semester online, she fully anticipated to be back on campus this fall.
All Claremont McKenna College students received a surprise gift in the mail this week.
A 5-pound care package arrived chock-full of CMC goodies. The shiny brown box included a 6-foot round blanket (for social distancing), blue block glasses (for Zooming), four CMC folders, an academic planner and notepad (for class organization), and magnets, stickers, and other CMC-branded desk supplies. The 340 first-year students received a tumbler as a welcome to CMC bonus.
Lexi Punishill ’24 chose a small liberal arts college like CMC, in part, because she “wanted to be friends with everyone” on campus. Craving community with her new classmates while stuck in quarantine since early spring, the Connecticut native decided to give her social calendar a boost by doing the most 2020 thing she could think of.
“Let’s start a Zoom and just see how it goes,” she said with a laugh.
Peter Uvin couldn’t contain his enthusiasm.
As teaching plans poured in from faculty members during the past two months, he saw the promise and power of a virtualized fall semester coming together. New, topical courses. Innovative pedagogies. Smart software tools. Special projects, guest speakers, and at-home labs. Nearly 20 pages and growing—a “magnum opus,” joked Uvin, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty—whose rich details for adaptation to online-only engagement “are a testament to the faculty’s commitment to student learning this fall,” he said.