When Khalab Blagburn ’27 won a $35,000 Beinecke Scholarship this spring to support his graduate education, the cognitive science and mathematics double major became the first Pomona student since 2013 to receive the prize, which is awarded annually to outstanding juniors throughout the country in the social sciences, arts and humanities.
“I’m thankful and the recognition is great,” Blagburn says, “but the financial support is amazing and a testament to the people around me, the opportunities I’ve pursued and the work I’ve put in.”
At Pomona, Blagburn began working in the lab of Eric Hurley, professor of psychological science and Africana studies, as a sophomore, and was soon running point on a project about verve—the level, intensity and variability of immediate and environmental sensate simulation a person prefers and in which they are able to function optimally—in African American culture.
Blagburn says he has used a childhood fascination with optical illusions and magic to “pivot toward education, examining how students’ perceived social conditions shape psychological constructs like achievement motivation and sense of belonging, which, in turn, influence academic outcomes.”
A right back on the Sagehens men’s soccer team, Blagburn plans to earn a Ph.D. in education with a focus on educational psychology.
“I’m interested in conducting social psychological interventions to support underserved and minoritized students,” he says. “Then after my Ph.D., I’m eager to work within or with academic institutions to lead program development, curriculum development, and to make sure those students are being met where they need support.”