#SoCaltech: Jimmy Ragan

“I first got involved with the Caltech Y when I saw they were doing a pre-orientation trip to Yosemite. I had done a lot of hiking and backpacking in high school as an Eagle Scout but didn’t have as much of a chance to do it during college. I figured it’d be a great introduction to the Caltech community and a good transition to grad school. I had also never been to Yosemite, so I volunteered to drive figuring I’d be more likely to get on the trip. I just stuck with it from then on. I also tutored a Pasadena student from eighth grade until he graduated high school, which was very rewarding and taught me a lot about how to communicate, especially to those people who can be good at math or science but don’t feel they are right now.

These experiences were a good opportunity to reconnect with the joy of mentorship. Even with the outdoor trips, we would explicitly invite people who had never gone camping before to come. I enjoy teaching people who have never chopped firewood before how to do that and to help them get through the weekend and have a good time. Without these experiences, I think I probably would’ve made it through Caltech, but it certainly would’ve been harder. Caltech’s always going to be an academic institution first, but there definitely is a sense that people care about the community beyond that.”

Jimmy Ragan will receive his PhD in space engineering during Caltech’s 131st Commencement ceremony on June13, 2025. He currently works as a data scientist at Slingshot Aerospace. Ragan worked as a tutor in the Caltech Y’s Rise Program for five years. In 2019, he joined the Y’s Outdoors Committee, which plans and organizes outdoor adventures for students. During the 2023–24 academic year, he served as a member of the Y’s board of directors.

#SoCaltech is an occasional series celebrating the diverse individuals who give Caltech its spirit of excellence, ambition, and ingenuity. Know someone we should profile? Send nominations to magazine@caltech.edu.