“Social media has the power to be used in good or bad ways. I would call myself an optimist. I feel we are kind of in the Wild West in social media. Not a lot of rules and regulations. I think we can use social media for good, which is what I am doing now with [Pomenova].”

Claire Cen says she has always had an interest in social media. When she was in middle school, she tried to make her exotic short hair cat, Muffin, now 7 years old, into an Instagram star by posting many photos and noticing which ones worked best. Muffin was up to about 2,000 followers at one point, Claire said. But Claire went off to high school and has turned her attention in many directions, one being the use of social media in a much different way.

In the summer of 2024, she started Pomenova (www.pomenova.org), which provides free digital marketing for nonprofits. She reached out to nonprofits asking if they needed social media help and resoundingly heard yes. She now works with other Digital Marketing Club students at Loomis Chaffee on what she calls her “passion project.” Says Claire, “From goal-setting in the first meeting to the final meeting sharing their toolkit, this is very exciting and fulfilling. I like doing things I set my mind to. A lot of nonprofits lack time, money, and social media know-how.”

Year: Senior

Hometown: Los Altos, Calif.

Clubs/activities: Founders Prize as a junior. President of the Pan Asian Student Alliance (PASA). President of the ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) Investment Club. Vice president of the Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Club. Head tour guide. Class officer. Debate Society. Dance Company. “I guess I kind of have my toes in everything here,” Claire says. She also has played the piano since she was 5, composes some of her own music, and has conducted traditional Chinese dance workshops for the last two years during LC’s celebration of Lunar New Year. “I wanted to share that part of my culture with the community.”

On social media responsibility: “Social media has the power to be used in good or bad ways. I would call myself an optimist. I feel we are kind of in the Wild West in social media. Not a lot of rules and regulations. I think we can use social media for good, which is what I am doing now with [Pomenova].”

On dance: For Claire, dance is “an outlet to not only express myself emotionally but a place to not think about a lot of other things happening in my life. Dance has been with me as long as I can remember, and a place I find comfort.”

Favorite meal: “My grandma makes a really good braised red pork belly, and that is something I look forward to when I go home.” 

On one of her favorites, Boba: She wrote about Boba and her experience of working at a Boba shop for a college essay. “There are so many flavors and textures,” she says. She also says Boba on the West Coast is better than Boba on the East Coast. 

Favorite place on campus: The common room of Palmer Hall, her dorm. “I’ve had a lot of good times chatting with the person on duty, or having late-night conversations with friends, watching movies, making snacks.”

Favorite class or assignment: “Loomis Chaffee has a lot of cool projects in classes.” One of her favorites was the fall of 2024 when taking Problem Solving for the Common Good. The class worked on the school cell phone policy, and some of what the class proposed was included in the current policy. “I also think the class taught me a lot of practical skills, presentation, researching, creating a survey, and design thinking in general.”

If you could invite anyone to dinner, who would it be? Claire thinks for a bit and then says, “Maybe my future self. I want to see where she ends up.”