Student Fellows
Our inaugural group of Open Academy Fellows are responsible for organizing salons and other programming. Selected from a large pool of applicants, they bring a diversity of perspectives, interests, and disciplinary backgrounds to this work. Above all, they share a commitment to deepening a culture of open inquiry at CMC and throughout The Claremont Colleges.
Abhi Ganesh ’26
Student Manager
Abhi is a junior at Claremont McKenna College dual majoring in Philosophy, Politics, Economics (PPE) and Philosophy. He is eager to use the Open Academy to create a space where students can question the presuppositions that characterize our opinions on politics and culture in order to cultivate creative and inspiring dialogue on our species’s most pressing issues.
Rowan Gray ’26
Student Manager
Rowan is a junior at Claremont McKenna College, dual majoring in Philosophy Politics, Economics (PPE) and Data Science. He believes the Open Academy can reshape discourse at the 5Cs to be more open, honest, and productive, and that centering dialogue in empathy enhances collective learning. He is grateful for the opportunity to make these values tangible in our community.
Kendall White ’27
Kendall is a sophomore at Pomona majoring in Politics with a minor in Late Antique/Medieval Studies. She’s an athlete, avid language learner, and member of Pomona’s speaker forum, the Pomona Student Union. As an Open Academy Fellow, Kendall hopes to bring new ideas and perspectives to campus and provide a space for authentic conversation.
Dhriti Jagadish ’27
Dhriti is a sophomore at Claremont McKenna College, dual majoring in Government and History. She has participated as a Summer Honors Program Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, a volunteer teacher at CMC’s chapter of the Prison Education Project, and an audience member of many Ath talks. She’s interested in American intellectual history and governance, particularly the judicial interpretations of civil liberties and separation-of-powers.
Brad Kwon ’25
Brad is a rising senior at Claremont McKenna College studying Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE). Having worked in the U.S. Department of Education and contributed to CMC Policy Lab, Brad is passionate about innovating implementable measures to enhance sustainability and accountability of all levels of governments. He is eager to engage his peers in conversations about American education policy and public perception of American government institutions.
Annie Bernstein ’27
Annie is a sophomore at Claremont McKenna College majoring in International Relations. She first became interested in fostering dialogue after participating in Hands of Peace, a three week-long program for engaging in discussions concerning the Israli-Palestinian conflict. She is excited to work with the Open Academy to foster a culture of understanding and mutual respect regarding controversial issues.
Ellie Lerner ’25
Ellie is a senior at Claremont McKenna College majoring in Government. She is excited to join the Open Academy to help facilitate discussions across political and ideological divides, focusing on issues such as religion, free speech, and psychedelics. On campus, she worked as a Gould Center research assistant and currently serves as an interviewer for the Athenaeum podcast, Free Food For Thought.
Rohan Mathew ’27
Rohan is a sophomore at Claremont McKenna College studying History and Economics. He is interested in history and international affairs and has worked with the Keck and Mgrublian Center for Human Rights. Rohan hopes to stimulate discussion on topics of wide interest, and engage in collaborative learning to better understand and interact with the world around us.
Eli Jobrack Lundy ’27
Eli is a sophomore at Claremont McKenna College studying Philosophy and Government. His passion for ethics and governance have led him to work on several political campaigns as well as AHS and Model UN at CMC. He is excited to engage in conversations about American foreign policy and international government, particularly on the global authoritarian movement and 21st century adaptation.
Jasper Langley Hawthorne ’27
Jasper is a sophomore at Claremont McKenna college majoring in Philosophy. He has an interest in the structures and stories that affect the modern world, and a desire to better understand the world through a free and constructive flow of ideas. He hopes to foster beneficial discussions on the philosophical groundings of social media and the internet as a whole.
Join Us
We seek strategic, programmatic, and philanthropic partners to advance the promise and potential of The Open Academy. Your partnership and support make this possible. Together, we can overcome what divides us and solve the world’s most challenging problems.