Student Fellows
Our inaugural group of Open Academy Fellows are responsible for organizing salons and other programming. Selected from a large pool of applicants, they bring a diversity of perspectives, interests, and disciplinary backgrounds to this work. Above all, they share a commitment to deepening a culture of open inquiry at CMC and throughout The Claremont Colleges.
Elijah Weiss ’25
Eli is a junior at Claremont McKenna College studying Government. He is interested in modern jurisprudence and what the most effective role of the government is in combating income inequality.
Fall only
Aidan Henrikson PI’25
Salons on US rural/urban divide and the relationship between new tech and education
Aidan is a junior at Pitzer College. He is majoring in History and minoring in Anthropology. He hopes to facilitate more dialogue around history, politics, and the urban/rural divide at The Claremont Colleges. Spring only
Nikolina Batoshvilli ’24
Salons on global economy and gun violence
Nika is a senior at Claremont McKenna College majoring in Economics and International Relations. She is excited to join The Open Academy and hopes to facilitate discussions about international political conflicts, free speech, and gun violence in the U.S. Fall only
Jacob Detrindad ’25
Salons on humanity in an automated world and who gets to speak
Jake is a junior at Claremont McKenna College studying Economics-Accounting and Philosophy. He is interested in social philosophy, specifically how gender influences experience, the role of private companies in determining and administering public policy, and the goals of the justice system. Fall only
Sara Arjomand ’26
Salons on plea bargaining and UBI
Sara is a sophomore at Claremont McKenna College majoring in Economics and Philosophy. She heads the 5C Effective Altruism organization and is a member of the Gould Center’s Editorial Board.
Abhinav Ganesh ’26
Salons on the nature of political power and truth in public discourse
Abhinav is a sophomore at Claremont McKenna College majoring in Philosophy and Public Policy. He is excited to engage in and facilitate discussions surrounding the politics of hegemony and the exercise of political power.
Rowan Gray ’26
Salons on foreign aid and Daoism
Rowan is a sophomore at Claremont McKenna College. He seeks to enable dialogue across difference, to start important conversations, and to grow The Open Academy as an organization.
Lucy Jaffee ’26
Salons on art/censorship and
dry vs. wet campuses
Lucy is a sophomore at Claremont McKenna College pursuing a dual major in Philosophy and Film Studies. She is excited to join The Open Academy to increase discussion about the role of morality in modern contexts and to find the practicality in many philosophical questions.
Basil Lloyd-Moffett ’26
Salons on Kipling and modern art
Basil is a senior at Claremont McKenna College majoring in Literature. Around campus, he is one of the leaders of CMC Mock Trial and co-RA of Benson Hall.
Mirabella Miller SC’24
Salons on monogamy and youth cynicism
Mirabella is a senior at Scripps College majoring in English with a creative writing emphasis. She’s excited to join The Open Academy and hopes to lead discussions about gender, agency, and identity.
Zaynamin Murtaza ’26
Salons on abortion and supreme court
Zaynamin is a sophomore at Claremont McKenna College majoring in Government. He hopes to use his platform as an Open Academy Fellow to elevate the discourse surrounding the role and effects of the American judicial system.
Giovanni Pierre ’25
Salons on free speech and homelessness
Gio is a junior at Claremont McKenna College studying philosophy, politics, and economics. As an Open Academy Fellow, he aims to facilitate conversations around campus discourse, free speech, and wealth inequality.
Anna Short PO’24
Salons on affirmative action and
parental rights
Anna is a senior at Pomona College and is majoring in Economics and Politics. As an Open Academy Follow, she hopes to foster discussions about economic policy and political polarization. Elsewhere on campus, she is the student manager of the Rose Institute of State and Local Government and managing editor of the Claremont Journal of Law and Public Policy.
Join Us
We seek strategic, programmatic, and philanthropic partners to advance the promise and potential of The Open Academy. Your partnership and support make this possible. Together, we can overcome what divides us and solve the world’s most challenging problems.