Alumni

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.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
Press Releases | Sagehen Athletics

Six Sagehens to Be Inducted Into Pomona-Pitzer Hall of Fame

An angled photo of the first floor taken from the second floor. On the left is a photo collage of Sagehens student-athletes playing basketball, football, soccer, baseball, swimming, and other sports against a blue backdrop. On the right is white shelf full of trophies with blue text above it that reads Pomona-Pitzer Wall of Champions. A comfortable gray couch and chair are scattered across dark blue striped textured carpet.The Pomona-Pitzer Athletic Hall of Fame will induct six individuals on April 14. Those being inducted include Pitzer College alumni Ruchi Patel ’09 for volleyball and Jose “Chico” Cortez ’09 for baseball. Over the course of her career, Patel earned All-American Honorable Mention, First Team All-West, two-time First Team All-SCIAC selection, two-time Team MVP, and captain her senior season. During his time with the baseball team, Cortez was an All-American all four years at Pomona-Pitzer, two-time West Player of the Year in 2002–2003, four-time First Team All-SCIAC Selection, and a two-time SCIAC Champion with the team in 2002 and 2003.
March 9, 2023
Press Releases

Honoring Past and Present: Inaugural Founders Day Features the ‘Women of the Sixties’

Six of Pitzer’s early alumnae stand with their arms around each other and smile. Behind them are people gathered in orange chairs around round tables.Sixty years ago, Pitzer College was nothing more than a dirt field, a pile of rocks, and a dream. The founding members inspired generations of students to take ownership of their education and build a transformative community. On February 21, 2023, Pitzer hosted an inaugural Founders Day event to celebrate its sixtieth anniversary and the people who made that possible. Dubbed the “Women of the Sixties,” the first Pitzer graduates returned to campus to share their groundbreaking history with students, faculty, and other alumni.
February 27, 2023
Press Releases | Sagehen Athletics

Madison Quan ’22 Makes History in Women’s Basketball

Madison Quan wears her long dark hair in a ponytail and a white basketball uniform with Pomona-Pitzer in blue text and 12 in orange text on the front. She jobs across the court against a backdrop of a blurred out crowd in the navy blue bleachers.Madison Quan ’22 is the SCIAC Offensive Player of the Year as announced by the SCIAC. A recent Pitzer alum and a current Claremont Graduate University student, Quan played this season as a Sagehen after missing one year to Covid as an undergraduate. Quan becomes the first SCIAC Player of the Year in program history after she leaves her mark all over the Pomona-Pitzer Women's Basketball record books. Quan ends her career sixth in all-time points with 1,313, the all-time leader in three-pointers with 164, fifth in career assists with 359, and third in career steals with 285.
February 23, 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
Press Releases

L.A. Mayor Karen Bass Taps Michele Siqueiros ’95 for Advisory Team

Michele Siqueiros holds her partner Solomon Rivera’s hand as Solomon puts an arm around Karen Bass. Siqueiros wears a navy blue blazer and has straight shoulder-length brown hair. Rivera has short salt and pepper hair and wears a navy blue suit with light blue dress shirt and maroon tie. Bass has a short afro of brown hair and wears glasses and a light blue blazer and pants.Pitzer College alumna and trustee Michele Siqueiros ’95 is making history as an advisor to Los Angeles’ first female mayor, Karen Bass. Siqueiros numbers among 103 members of Bass’ transition team—headed by civil and labor rights leader Dolores Huerta as co-chair—for the mayor’s first 100 days in office. “I’m thrilled to be a part of the mayor’s transition team for the city I was born and raised in and love deeply!” said Siqueiros.
January 18, 2023
Press Releases

Protecting Vietnam Bears: Pitzer Alumni’s Research Culminates in an Herbal Recipes Book

An elderly village woman and a college student sit behind a house as the student holds up a large green leaf. The student wears an orange top and blue jeans and orange shoes. The woman wears a purple shirt and black pants and hat.In collaboration with Pitzer and Claremont Colleges alumni, Animals Asia, the Traditional Medical Association of Vietnam, and the Hive have published a book of local women’s herbal remedies. This book presents an alternative to the practice of bear bile farming that is harming the bear population in Vietnam. In October, the group hosted a launch party to celebrate printing 1,000 copies. “I’ve found Pitzer students to possess a keen curiosity for sustainability problem solving. They are drawn to programs like this Vietnam Health Design program because they get to imagine and work with local communities to design better futures while seeing the real-world constraints and needs.”
January 4, 2023
Press Releases | Sagehen Athletics

Madison Quan ’22 Earns 1,000th Point in Sagehens Women’s Basketball

Madison Quan wears white sneakers and a white basketball uniform with blue and orange accents and the number 12 in orange on the front. Quan runs across the court while dribbling a basketball and has long dark hair pulled back in a ponytail.Madison Quan ’22 netted her 1,000th career point as the Sagehens fell to SCIAC rival CMS 70-64 on Wednesday night at Voelkel Gymnasium at the Center for Athletics, Recreation, and Wellness. A recent Pitzer alum and a current Claremont Graduate University student, Quan is playing this season on the Pomona-Pitzer women's basketball team after missing one year to Covid as an undergraduate.
November 30, 2022
Spotlights

Explore Pitzer’s Robust Study Abroad Programs With Sayjal Waddy ’07

Sayjal Waddy wears a red shirt, red rectangular dangling earrings, and black-rimmed glasses. She has shoulder-length curly black hair that is tied back. The background is a blurred green lawn.Meet Sayjal Waddy ’07, Pitzer alumna and staff member in the Office of Study Abroad and International Programs. In this Q&A, she discusses the Pitzer-run study abroad programs in nine different countries and how their cultural immersion breaks learning out of the classroom silo. "You have classes, language learning, family stay, and trips. As you grow in your language ability, you better communicate with your family, which helps you improve your language and helps your independent study. One impacts the other. That’s how learning should be."
November 7, 2022