Pomona Scholar Launches Internship Program, Pursues Tech Career

At Pomona College, sophomore Ervin Cruz is making an impact both on campus and beyond. As a first-year member of student government, Ervin co-founded the Sagehen Civic Scholars Program, designed to connect underclass students with internships through a partnership with the City of Claremont.

The program, named after Pomona’s mascot, Cecil the Sagehen, debuted this year with placements across seven city departments, including parks policy, accounting and computer science. Its success prompted student government to establish a dedicated liaison role to manage the initiative moving forward. As one of the first city–college internship pipelines created by undergraduates at Pomona, the initiative highlights how student-led leadership can expand access to professional development opportunities.

Having the opportunity to learn, grow, and explore is invaluable.

While creating opportunities for his peers, Ervin also secured a competitive summer internship of his own as a software design engineer at Amazon.

Reflecting on the experience, he said, “I have learned more than I knew to be possible in six weeks. Having the opportunity to learn, grow, and explore is invaluable and it’s not something I could get doing anything else.”

At Pomona, Ervin is pursuing a double major in computer science and philosophy, politics and economics with a specialization in economics. His campus involvement includes varsity football, the Office of Black Student Affairs, Chicano Latino Student Affairs and the Latinx in Tech club. Ervin credits Posse with providing essential support throughout his academic journey.

“At my college, when you mention Posse people know what you’re talking about,” he says. “As a result, they’re more inclined to help you.”