On March 18, Pomona College’s Campus Advocacy, Resources, Education and Support (CARES) Office announced via email its new assistant director, Cynthia Flores. As an alumna of Scripps College, Flores is returning to the Claremont Colleges with over ten years of experience working with young people in the education, social services and non-profit sectors.
The email was sent by Associate Dean and Title IX Coordinator Destiny Marrufo, who served as assistant director until this past January when she stepped into her current role. At the time, Marrufo reflected on her previous experiences with CARES and explained how she would use them moving forward.
“The work I have done with the CARES Office has allowed me to be in front of students in various ways, building trust and rapport with our students,” Marrufo told TSL previously. “I will bring those same efforts and relationships into my new role as Title IX coordinator.”
In the March 18 email, Marrufo offered the Pomona community insights on Flores’ experiences and expertise, sharing what Flores is looking forward to as a new member of the Pomona community.
“Cynthia shared that she is excited to create educational content that is both engaging and allows her to connect with students from all over the Pomona community,” the email said. “She is also looking forward to collaborating with folks on programming that contributes to a culture of respect and support on our campus.”
According to the email, the selection process consisted of an extensive search committee, including Director of the Queer Resource Center Bri Sérráno, Junior Class Dean Francine Bonneville, Residence Life Coordinator Kristen Nichols, Student Athlete Services Coordinator Shelby Yung and Director of Campus Life Engagement Joel Petty.
Sydney Greek PO ’26, a CARES Campus Advocate, shared with TSL her positive experience within the selection process via email. She explained that campus advocates were given the opportunity to attend a personal meet and greet with each candidate and that the student body was encouraged to host student presentations for the finalists, with attendees submitting feedback afterwards.
“The CARES Campus Advocates were of course particularly involved in the selection process,” Greek wrote. “I was quite pleased with the level of student engagement the selection committee sought to invite!”
Greek highlighted Flores’ and Marrufo’s dedication to shaping the CARES office into a safe and approachable space for students to access.
“One thing that we were really impressed with in Cynthia’s presentation was her commitment to making these very heavy and dense topics relatable, engaging and salient for students,” she wrote. “The previous CARES assistant director, Destiny Marrufo, who now serves as our Title IX coordinator, really initiated a campaign to make us and our office more approachable and accessible to students — because that’s who we’re really here for.”
Marrufo shared with TSL via email about her decision to become Title IX Coordinator.
“Part of my decision to transition into the Title IX Coordinator role was largely based in being ready to take that next step in my career that still allowed me to support students and be part of the Pomona College community. I am now able to support folks in a different capacity, while still having input in our prevention efforts,” Marrufo said. “I am also able to be part of conversations centered around policy change, which is another area of focus I have always been excited about. In this neutral role, I support all parties, educate folks on their rights and resources, and ensure our office responds to incidents of sexual misconduct within our community.”
Greek also expressed her excitement for future CARES initiatives with Flores.
“Cynthia has been very vocal about her commitment to building upon the rapport we built with the student body under Destiny,” Greek wrote. “She has so many great ideas and I’m really looking forward to students getting to know her (and us!) better.”
This story was last updated Apr. 26 at 3:23 p.m.
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