Do you ever get the feeling that your love interest is brain-rotted past the point of no return? Arianna Kaplan SC ’27 and Siena Giacoma PZ ’27 examine the effect short-form media is having on our ability to meaningfully interact with each other in the semester’s final edition of 5Cs After Dark.
Author: Siena Giacoma
Office Hours for the Soul: Write like no one is watching
Eight months ago, Siena Giacoma PZ ‘27 got some shocking advice — “You don’t matter.” In her final edition of Office Hours for the Soul, Giacoma reflects on her series of professor interviews from this year, discussing how they taught her to write like no one is watching.
5Cs After Dark: Hot, horny, and hesitant
Does your “situationship” have a fear of commitment? Arianna Kaplan SC ’27 and Siena Giacoma PZ ’27 have definitely been in your shoes, so they’re tackling everything from dating labels to casual flings this week in their column, “5Cs After Dark.”
5Cs after Dark: Men who date but hate women
Siena Giacoma PZ ’27 and Arianna Kaplan SC ’27 want you to know that you can’t resent women and expect good sex. From the manosphere to real-life dating dynamics, they’re unpacking the uncomfortable truth about attraction without respect.
Office Hours for the Soul: Professor Belinda Tang on pivoting
Three years ago, Siena Giacoma PZ ’27 planned to become a veterinarian. Now, she’s studying creative writing. In this week’s Office Hours for the Soul, Giacoma sits down with Professor Belinda Tang to talk about non-linear paths, KnitTok and the discipline of sitting with uncertainty.
5Cs After Dark: Valentine’s Day sucks. Let’s talk about it.
Valentine’s Day is coming alongside collisions of love, friendship and expectations. Arianna Kaplan SC ’27 and Siena Giacoma PZ ’27 take it on in their new column, 5C After Dark, unpacking the uncomfortable question many students ask every year: is spending Valentine’s Day alone empowering, or just plain sad?
Office Hours for the Soul: Professor Lisa Auerbach threw away her phone — and lived
Siena Giacoma PZ ’27 profiles Pomona professor Lisa Auerbach, whose work in the darkroom and on her front gate argues for a more focused, physically present creative life. Through her photography, textiles and political art, Giacoma shows how Auerbach’s practice is a model for creating space for curiosity, focus and real-world connection.
Office Hours for the Soul: Propaganda, soccer, and Pitzer’s Andre Wakefield
Siena Giacoma PZ ’27 takes us into the world of Pitzer history professor Andre Wakefield, whose winding path to academia is anything but conventional. Giacoma captures the curiosity that drives Wakefield’s teaching, from his class on propaganda to the unexpected intersections he builds — like linking soccer to economics.
Office Hours for the Soul: Pitzer’s Amanda Lagji on finding purpose in the unexpected
Siena Giacoma PZ ’27 brings us the story and advice of Pitzer College professor of English and world literature, Amanda Lagji. Giacoma highlights the innovative course she’s teaching next semester and discusses how Lagji’s decision to study abroad in college altered her career path.
Office Hours for the Soul: From coups to college, meet Pierre Englebert
Siena Giacoma PZ ’27 relays unconventional stories and advice from Pomona College’s professor of politics and international relations, Pierre Englebert. Covering African revolutions, forgotten hobbies and pop star, Taylor Swift, Giacoma invites a deeper understanding of the balance between serious and playful.