This past Saturday, students traded signs for guitars and megaphones for microphones. Musicians from across the Claremont campuses came together to perform in a concert benefiting the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), a California-based immigrant rights organization.
At 6 p.m. on Feb. 7, 5C musicians took the stage for a benefit concert at Pomona College to raise money for immigrant rights. The event, which was hosted by Pomona College’s sophomore class president Molly Grace Chakery PO ’28, took place at Pomona’s Seaver Theatre.
“Music is protest and a form of resistance, and I think calling attention to that is really valuable,” Chakery said. “I think so many of the people I know who make music here [on campus] want to support these causes.”
The performance was comprised of four student musicians and groups: Jeans, Izzy Gustitus SC ’26, Tell Me I’m Pretty and Molly & Mylo.
Jeans — a student band beaming with Pomona sophomore talent — kicked off the concert with a cover of “Mayonaise” by The Smashing Pumpkins, followed by two indie pop and rock originals. Izzy Gustitus SC ’26 performed four pop and folk tracks, ending on a cover of “Birds of a Feather” by Billie Eilish.
Tell Me I’m Pretty covered classics like “Zombie” by The Cranberries while lead singer Ava Neal SC ’28 danced like nobody was watching.
Chakery and accompanying guitarist Mylo Schneider PO ’28 — of the Molly & Mylo duo — closed out the concert with a moving rendition of Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ In the Wind.” Dylan’s resonant and timely lyrics, like “How many years can some people exist / Before they’re allowed to be free?” touched audience members.
All proceeds from ticket sales were donated to support CHIRLA’s continued mission of defending the rights of immigrants through education, legal assistance and political advocacy.
As immigrant rights become a glaring focus on the national stage, 5C students have been actively organizing to coordinate support for local organizations. In Los Angeles alone, over 10,000 people have been arrested by ICE since June. On Dec. 31, 2025, Keith Porter, a 43-year-old Black man and father of two, was fatally shot by an off-duty ICE agent in his LA apartment.
For college students who feel as though they lack real financial or systemic power, it is difficult to find ways to affect meaningful change. For student musicians, however, performing at events like the Benefit Concert opens a new door — one where expression becomes both accessible and empowering.
“I felt very powerless because it seems like all the systems in place that are supposed to keep things okay are just being burned down,” Neal said. “I’m a college student, I don’t know what to do. And then, when Molly Grace told me about this, I was like, okay, this is something I can do. I think people want to hear music and are more incentivized to support that way. So that’s my weapon of choice.”
““I felt very powerless because it seems like all the systems in place that are supposed to keep things okay are just being burned down,” Neal said. “I’m a college student, I don’t know what to do. And then, when Molly Grace told me about this, I was like, okay, this is something I can do.”
The event allowed performers like Neal to transform feelings of frustration into tangible action. Grief became mutual aid as tickets were sold. Feelings of powerlessness became empowerment as supporters filled Seaver Theatre. Anger towards unjust systems became angsty lyrics, driving guitars and loud drums.
“We’re all angry, and we’re all sad, and it’s hard to find an outlet for that,” Chakery said. “And I think raising money in this way kind of provided that for me, and I hope for other people.”
Student activism comes in many forms. It can take the form of protests, boycotts, donation campaigns and even concerts. At the end of the day, however, it’s about coming together as a collective to express shared grievances and cultivate a community rooted in care. For students, performing as a band mirrors that effort — whether on stage or at a protest, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
“The work that we make together is way better than anything I’ve made on my own,” lead singer of Jeans, Vanessa Lowder PO ’28 said. “We all bring a little something, and our different perspectives help kind of make the music a little bit more multidimensional. It feels good to be united under this one sound.”
With almost 100 ticket sales, the benefit concert raised $760. But this, many students explained, is just the beginning. The Associated Students of Pomona College (ASPC) is holding a general fundraiser for CHIRLA through Feb. 22. The fundraiser is structured as a competition among Pomona’s South Campus dorms, where the dorm that raises the most money will earn prizes. ASPC’s campaign for CHIRLA will also include collaborations with Scripps Associated Students and local Village businesses.
Throughout history, music and performance have proven to be a crucial element of resistance and efforts for change. This concert is no different. For performers and attendees, the success of the benefit concert shows how bringing people together through live music can build community and mobilize support for causes that students believe in.
“Whatever tiny little gift or passion you have, you have that for a reason, and it can be leveraged to help, and we need that,” Neal said. “So use it.”
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