By Emma Grace Howlett ‘25
Small class sizes at Pomona enable discussions to be engaging, focused, and illuminating. Yet sometimes it is experiences outside the classroom that elevate Pomona’s intellectual experience to the next level. Exploring the greater L.A. area through field trips to the city’s urban center and nearby natural wonders through school-sponsored field trips have complimented and expanded the texts and topics covered in my classes.
Last semester, my Art History course “Modern Architecture and Sustainability” went on a field trip to the Getty Center. Like a white dove perched loftily upon a bough, the Getty’s white limestone exterior shines from a green hillside high above L.A. Courtyards spring to life with flowing fountains and gardens boast labyrinthine hedges blooming with magenta bougainvillea flowers. Inside the villa-like complex, the Getty’s permanent collections brim with countless French decorative sculptures and furniture, including entire rooms furnished to replicate a 17th-century palace. The collection also includes a plethora of my favorite Impressionist paintings, including Van Gogh’s Irises, one of Monet’s Haystacks and Rouen Cathedral, and several of Turner’s windswept seascapes.
We were also able to see the special exhibit, “Lumen: The Art and Science of Light,” which displayed medieval religious objects, exploring how the science of light was studied by Christian philosophers and artists. Dazzling gold crosses encrusted with crystal and glass evoked the layered realms of the divine, and illuminated manuscripts shimmered with the tiniest gold foil details. We pondered how the mirrored and reflected light spoke to both our religious and scientific empathies.
On another field trip, I went with my “WWII in Eastern Europe” History class to the L.A. Holocaust Museum. While there, we listened to a Holocaust survivor share her story in a public lecture. She had survived Auschwitz, two death marches, and unbelievable horrors. She said she would wake up next to a dead girl almost every morning while she was in Auschwitz, but was able to keep hope because she and her mother were able to stay together through it all. Then she rolled up her sleeve and on her arm was her prisoner tattoo, meant to turn her into a number. She was 14 at the time.
Supplementing class readings with tangible experiences such as these are extremely important, especially when it comes to historical events such as the Holocaust. This field trip was a reminder of the importance of uplifting marginalized voices, and how connecting with survivors can be extremely moving and inspiring.
Field trips have also enabled me to enjoy nature in the nearby San Gabriel Mountains. While on a hike with my “Intro to Geology” class, we learned about our local geology while immersed in the landscape. We learned that the San Gabriels are growing at a rate of 2 inches per year, making them one of the fastest-growing mountain ranges in the world due to their proximity to the San Andreas Fault. As we made our way up the 10,064 ft-tall Mt San Antonio (known as Mt Baldy because of its treeless slopes), we pointed out different types of rocks and learned the importance of chaparral in preventing erosion.
These three field trips are just a narrow example of how my classes at Pomona have broadened my intellectual and cultural horizons. By exploring L.A.’s many museums and hiking through its geologic wonders, my education is now grounded in real-world experiences. I’m so grateful for Pomona’s ideal location, with one foot in the soaring mountains and another in one of the largest and most famous metropolitan areas in the world. I am inspired to further explore the L.A. area on my own, and live my life with the whole world as a classroom.