At 7 p.m. last Saturday, Nov. 15, the Claremont Shades hosted SCAMFest, the annual collegiate acapella festival at the Claremont Colleges. After months of preparation, the Shades hosted this year’s event to an auditorium full of enthused Claremont students and visitors.
Author: Ananya Vinay
A 50-year quest towards gravitational waves with Nobel Laureate Kip Thorne
On Nov. 2, Kip Thorne took the stage at Harvey Mudd College’s Galileo Auditorium to recount his 50 year odyssey of making gravitational wave astronomy a reality. The audience, which was composed primarily of physics students and scientists across the 5Cs, brought along their editions of Thorne’s “Gravitation” textbook to be autographed. For many, this event was a chance to meet a personal hero, to put a face to the name that they’ve studied in class.
Betty Who? “Collective Rage: A Play in 5 Betties” showcases the complexity of femininity and identity
From the night of Halloween, Oct. 31 to Nov. 2, “Collective Rage: A Play in 5 Betties” ran for a total of three shows at the Large Studio of Pomona College’s Seaver Theatre Complex. The production follows the titular Bettys — five different women who share the same name, but couldn’t be more different from each other — as they navigate the challenges of womanhood and figuring out who they are.
‘Come for the egg rolls but stay for the talk on racism’: Sharing Asian American stories with Curtis Chin
On Oct. 16, Scripps Presents hosted writer and filmmaker Curtis Chin in Balch Auditorium for a conversation on his memoir, writing process and his creative journey as a whole. His memoir,“Everything I Learned I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant” from which he read sections throughout the event, began as a collection of comedic family stories, eventually transforming into a reckoning of his intersecting racial and religious identities.
Lessons on advocacy and athletics from Aly Raisman
On Oct. 2, Raisman, a six-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time gymnastics team captain, took the stage at Scripps Presents to share lessons from her athletic journey and trauma healing process. Raisman came forward as a survivor of sexual abuse in 2017 and is now an avid advocate for sexual assault survivors. In telling her story, Raisman noted how devastatingly common abuse is, and emphasized that speaking out can be extremely terrifying.
Community and art at Walker Beach’s Mom Said Flea
On Saturday, Sept. 20, Pomona College hosted the Mom Said Have Fun flea market at Walker Beach. Grateful to have a moment of respite from midterm season, students wandered around over 60 different booths, browsing through potted plants, handmade jewelry, vintage clothing and more. Students expressed their excitement about getting to pick out new clothes and decorations for the fall while also supporting small businesses. Amidst digging through piles of clothing, perusing hand-printed posters and receiving a tarot card reading, students took part in a larger effort to build community amongst 5C students. The flea market highlights the amalgamation of passions and skills present in the Claremont community, where students can unwind, foster friendships and embrace the local art scene.
A path to the stars: Jose Hernandez’s story of resilience and adaptability
Many have far-fetched dreams, but few have the sheer tenacity to wait 37 years to achieve theirs. Despite growing up as an impoverished farm worker, astronaut Jose Hernandez carved himself a path to the stars amidst pestering doubts. His story is now the basis for the award-winning movie “A Million
Monica Lewinsky in conversation: Reclaiming the narrative
“In my family, we call [1998] The Brainwashing. The younger generations said — ’wait, the 24-year-old young woman had more consequences than the 50-year-old most powerful man in the world.’ That insistence to revisit the story and to revisit me as a person created this current [of change]” Monica Lewinsky said.
Misty Copeland and her unexpected journey into dance
On April 15 at Scripps College’s Garrison Theater, Misty Copeland spoke about her unlikely journey into the dance world and her work in making the arts more accessible.
‘Code to Connect’: Hackathon highlights innovation at the 5Cs
On April 5 and 6 in Edmunds Ballroom, Claremont students came together to code innovative product ideas and proposed potential scalable apps in this year’s 24-hour 5C Hackathon.