A Walk Down ITS Memory Lane: Lessons in Growth, Teamwork, and Gratitude
As I reflect on my time at Pomona College (especially now, since I graduated back in May 2024, which feels like ages ago), I find it fitting to reminisce about my first interaction with ITS. My class was heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and I spent my first year of college 10/11 time zones ahead of Pacific Time in Nairobi, Kenya. My initial interaction with ITS was to request a loaner laptop because I didn’t have one of my own. After a month of sharing an old, dusty laptop with my mother, I decided I needed one for myself, especially after seeing my classmates receiving loaner laptops—MacBooks, no less. For a kid growing up in Eastlands, Nairobi, Apple products are the kind of gadgets you dream of owning. Due to logistical challenges, the laptop arrived nearly a month later, but the wait was nothing compared to the sheer joy I felt unboxing the sleek, silver MacBook Air delivered by ITS. At that time, before stepping foot on Pomona College’s campus, ITS, to me, was simply the place that provided “free” gadgets to students.
When I arrived on campus, I was eager to find an on-campus job like many of my American classmates. After landing in the U.S. and serving my two-week quarantine at Oldenborg, I jumped at the opportunity to look for jobs and found one that caught my attention—working as a front-desk assistant at the Cowart building. Excited, I applied, got an interview, and met my interviewers, Nancy Rodriguez and Sharon Smith. (I, of course, had no idea I’d end up working with Nancy on the same team four years later.) Sadly, due to a delayed work authorization, I was only able to work at the front desk for two weeks. Still, I learned a great deal from Nancy and the ITS team, especially through the rigorous Knowledge Base Articles. Back then, I was curious about what went on in the inner sanctum of the ITS Cowart building (I never had the chance to enter). In my imagination, I pictured stacks of MacBook Airs piled high and a team constantly handling virtual tickets about IT-related issues like students struggling to log in to the eduroam WiFi network. As you can tell, my understanding of ITS’s operations was quite limited at the time.
Fast forward to the present day—I’ve just completed a brief but fulfilling post-bac program with the Instructional Technology Group (ITG) at ITS, which began in late August 2024.
One of my first eye-opening moments was a Zoom meeting with Susan before I started, where she asked about my expectations. I mentioned programming and coding, and she explained that my role likely wouldn’t involve much of that—and she was absolutely right. I’ve since learned that ITS, indeed like most IT departments, encompasses far more than just coding.
My time with the ITG team has been incredibly rewarding as I’ve taken on a variety of diverse, non-programming tasks. One of my primary responsibilities was assisting with the massive transition of content from Sakai to Canvas, a monumental effort. I thoroughly enjoyed exploring the intricacies of the Canvas basics and beyond basics tutorials crafted by the talented RITG team, and I’m proud to say I’ve become something of a Canvas expert—dare I say, an advocate. I also contributed to maintaining and expanding the database of professors and faculty whose courses needed to migrate to Canvas. On a more unexpected but surprisingly enjoyable note, I even helped Nick replace old batteries in our stock of iClickers. These, along with other duties, have made this experience both meaningful and memorable.
My interactions with ITS have extended beyond the work I’ve done with the ITG team, giving me insight into how the various teams collaborate to ensure the school’s technology ecosystem runs smoothly. For example, through informational interviews with Joey and Warron from the cybersecurity team, I developed a newfound appreciation for the often-perceived-as-annoying Two-Factor Authentication Duo push notifications. Beyond learning about their personal motivations for working in this field and what they enjoy about ITS, I developed a deeper understanding of the critical role they play in protecting Pomona College’s tech infrastructure. Their work defends the ecosystem from malicious external attacks and includes, more nobly, educating the campus community about threats like phishing.
Every day I walked into the inner sanctum of the ITS Cowart Building and interacted with the different teams, whether formally or informally, I gained a clearer and more engaging picture of what ITS truly is. It’s a complex system, no doubt, but one that works harmoniously, with each team complementing the others. I only wish I had more time to interview more people, but even with the glimpse I’ve had into the workings of ITS, I leave with an even deeper admiration for the dedication and contributions of everyone here.
I’ll truly miss the ITG team, the memories I’ve created (special thanks to the staff who organized the Winter Wonderland end-of-year Christmas party, where I sang my heart out at karaoke), and the delightful assortment of teas in the break room.
