Origin Stories

Each fall, an influx of new faces arrives on the Occidental campus—bringing with them new ideas, new dreams, and new visions that may shape our collective futures. Hyperbole, you say? It was 45 years ago that a freshman named “Barry” Obama joined the Oxy community. We introduce to you nine new members of the Tiger family—we don’t know where they’re going, but every hero has an origin story.

The Facilitator: Madeline Fernandez | Los Angeles

While many teenagers were using their free time during the pandemic lockdown to watch TV or play video games, Madeline Fernandez founded the nonprofit Techy Teens 4 Seniors to help seniors navigate technology issues from emailing photos to using iPad-based systems at medical labs. Inspired by the struggles she saw her grandparents having, Madeline knew she wanted to help. So, she picked up the phone and started calling assisted living facilities and volunteering her services.

Things snowballed from there and now she leads a team of high school- and college-age students who serve over 300 seniors per month. “People find out about us through word of mouth,” explains Madeline. “Usually people have basic questions, like how do I send pictures or download a parking app. Now we have a lot of people who volunteer with the program and I manage all of it.”

Despite being busy running a thriving nonprofit, Madeline makes sure to prioritize academics. “I try to balance my time between studies and extracurricular activities,” says the L.A. native, who’s interested in majoring in cognitive science and possibly pursuing a career in geriatric medicine. “I’m looking at doing more community-based physician work,” she says. “I want to be able to give back to my community.”

Madeline was born and raised in the Highland Park neighborhood surrounding Occidental and would often take walks on campus with her family. “I was always aware of Oxy, and then someone from Oxy came to my high school and gave a presentation, and I fell in love with it. It’s full circle. I knew the academics and the research were so good here. Sitting in the presentation made me realize that this is where I needed to be.”

The Pole Vaulter: Zoey Hrabe | Kansas City, Mo.

It’s rare that a fateful sign comes in the form of a purple pole. But that’s what happened to freshman Zoey Hrabe, when a pole helped guide her toward one of her biggest passions.

Although her high school, Barstow School in Kansas City, Mo., didn’t have a pole vaulting coach or much equipment, “They had this super old pole manufactured the year I was born tucked in a shed somewhere,” Zoey recalls. “I was the first one to ever use it. It felt like a sign that it was meant to be.”

Zoey had run track at her high school since she was a freshman, and her mom suggested she try pole vaulting. “I was a gymnast and a lot of gymnasts pick up pole vaulting very easily. I liked being in the air and the dynamic aspect of it.”

Flash forward a few years and Zoey was named the Kansas City Star’s Female Athlete-Scholar of the Year and is pole vaulting at Occidental—one of the things that attracted her here. “Oxy was my No. 1 choice,” she says. “The small campus is awesome. L.A. is so different from where I grew up. I learned what freeways were when I came out here. We only have smaller highways in Kansas City. But the neighborhood I come from is similar to this neighborhood. It kind of feels like I’m still at home.”

Zoey was born in China and adopted by her parents, who brought her to Kansas City when she was 14 months old. “Growing up was a little difficult because I didn’t understand the concept of race,” Zoey says. “It was me and my two white parents. Kids pointed out it wasn’t my real mom. But I’m very grateful I’m adopted—it added a lot of great aspects to my life. There were three other girls at my high school who were also adopted from China. We started an Asian Pacific Islanders Club.”

Zoey plans to major in biology and Chinese language with the goal of becoming an orthopedic surgeon. “I like how hands-on orthopedics is,” Zoey says. “It’s like putting a person back together!”

The Policymaker: Aiden Thatcher | Anthem, Ariz.

As a National Merit Scholar who earned the highest possible score on 12 AP exams and a talented cross country runner, Arizona native Aiden Thatcher had his pick of top-ranked universities, but for him there was no question: Occidental was where he wanted to be.

“I knew I wanted to go to a liberal arts school to tickle all my different passions,” Aiden says. Impressed by the abundance of experiential learning opportunities at Oxy, from undergraduate research programs to Oxy at the U.N., he felt confident in his decision. “I want to go into public policy; it’s an applied field and you need to be a problem solver,” he points out. “I like the idea of taking the concepts of the classroom and interacting with them and making them useful. We leave the ivory tower to put ideas into practice.”

As a student at Boulder Creek High School in Anthem, Ariz., Aiden took the knowledge he gained in his Spanish classes to volunteer with an organization called Meaningful Teens doing phonics and literacy education. “There was a 6-year-old girl and it was her first time on and she didn’t speak any English,” Aiden recalls of one of his students. “She was just six days into living in the U.S. having moved from El Salvador. I was able to connect with her. We worked on numbers and colors. That was a really impactful experience. People often don’t realize that their actions can influence the world. It showed me that my Spanish wasn’t just something I was learning in the classroom.”

Another real-life experience inspired his goal to earn a master’s in urban planning and a Ph.D. in urban geography as a path toward working as a government analyst or policy maker.  “Part of my journey was getting hit by a car twice—both biking and running,” Aiden says. “It wasn’t too severe, but it made me question why it’s difficult to get around without a car. Why is a car the only safe way? It’s all policy. It’s how things get built.”

In addition to pursuing a double major in urban and environmental policy and economics, he hopes to minor in geology so he can use GIS to understand physical landscapes and cities and incorporate elements of climate science into his work. “I want to have the most holistic skill set possible as a policymaker.”

The Changemaker: Aoife Mokalla | Minneapolis

Growing up in Minneapolis, Aoife Mokalla was raised to speak up for what she believed in. She developed a passion for social justice and political activism at an early age, and wanted to address issues such as period poverty that are often stigmatized and not openly discussed.

Aoife and her classmates at Southwest High School wanted to create a safe space to discuss women’s issues, so they co-founded an organization called Gender Justice. On top of that, they raised more than $2,000 to provide free menstrual products in their high school bathroom to help end period poverty.

“None of our school bathrooms had period products in them,” Aoife says. “So we made a bunch of Costco trips to get the products and stock the bathrooms. We also did workshops on what period poverty is and how to address that.” Aoife also served as a liaison and partnered with the student council to help address gender justice. “Being part of both groups, I could help them work together,” she says.

Now Aoife is considering majoring in critical theory and social justice, biology, or sociology with a minor in public health. “I hope to do post-grad to work in reproductive rights of some sort,” she says. “With a public health minor it would be a good intersection of social justice and a specific cause. I’m interested in using it to raise awareness of period poverty.”

Outspoken and engaged, Aoife also served as student council president, debate captain, and dance captain at Southwest High School. When teachers and support staff at the high school staged “Walkout Wednesdays” earlier this year, she stood by them on the picket line.

Despite being so involved as a student leader, “All of these groups are not what define me,” Aoife says. “It’s also about preparing future leaders to do the same thing. In high school I worked really hard to be passionate about all of these groups at once. In college and post-college, I’d like to focus on making meaningful and important change in one thing I’m really passionate about.”

The Peacekeeper: Adam Pildal | Copenhagen, Denmark

Denmark native Adam Pildal spent two years living in Singapore as part of the United World Colleges (UWC) program prior to attending Occidental, interacting with students from all over the world.

As someone who could have gone almost anywhere on the globe to attend college, Adam was drawn to Oxy for its central location in a major metropolitan city that’s also close to the surrounding mountains, beaches, and desert terrain. The fact that his good friend from the UWC program (Aung Myat Thet) was also accepted to Occidental made it even more appealing.

“I love it here,” Adam says. “I love the academics and how easy it is to communicate with my professors during office hours. I really like my peers as well. I already feel I have a really strong community here.”

While studying in Singapore, Adam organized the Initiative for Peace in Timor-Leste. “Timor-Leste has a difficult history,” Adam explains. “It was a Portuguese colony and then it was colonized by Indonesia in the 1970s. Now it’s independent. It has a pretty good education system, but there aren’t many economic opportunities. It’s the poorest country in Southeast Asia. We provided a forum for people there around 18 or 19 years old to discuss issues going on in the country and how we can work to manage them … to get people thinking about how to work toward solutions.”

When he arrived at Oxy, Adam jumped right in to writing for The Occidental newspaper, and plans to pursue a career as a journalist. “I want to work to help get people’s voices out there as much as I can,” he says. “Random people posting on social media can’t sustain a population. I feel it’s so important to tell the stories of people whose stories aren’t being told.”

The Facilitator: Jillian Wan | Shanghai, China

Jillian Wan knows firsthand what it feels like to be a fish out of water. Her father is Shanghainese and her mother is American, and Jillian’s experience moving from Los Angeles to Shanghai at age 6 had a big impact on her, as did a challenging transition to high school at the Shanghai American School (SAS), with an enrollment of more than 1,000 students in grades 9-12.

“After COVID, my high school no longer had a comprehensive orientation program for new students because of lockdown policies, so my experience transferring [to  SAS] was a bit rocky,” Jillian says. “I was profoundly affected by that experience, so I wanted to make a program in my school to help new students adjust better.”

Jillian founded and served as president of the New Student Council, which provided orientation for new students. “We gave them tours and info about the school and made sure it was a place they could feel safe and welcome,” she says.

In addition to being a student leader, dancer, and soccer player, Jillian channels her emotions into her music; she has recorded two ambitious original songs, “Wilted Roses” and “Imperfections,” that are available on streaming platforms.

“Music can inspire emotions within you, even with no words,” she says. “That’s the core of my passion for music—the way it can embody emotions so purely and potently.”

Another thing that sets Jillian apart is her experience with sustainable chicken farming in Shanghai. “My dad has a chicken hobby,” she explains. “We started with two chickens and now there are 45 of them. We don’t buy eggs from the store, we have so many. We feed them all of our leftovers and their excrement is used to fertilize our garden. It’s very self-sustaining.”

Jillian was attracted to Oxy because of its proximity to Los Angeles, “a vibrant city filled with culture and life,” and to her childhood home in Altadena. “The people here are all so expressive, unique and interesting. There’s not one person here on campus who isn’t interesting in their own way.”

The Hurdler: James Buellesbach | San Jose

Sometimes life can deliver happy accidents. Such was the case with James Buellesbach, who stumbled into hurdling after he got injured as a long and triple jumper and ended up becoming the fastest sophomore hurdler at Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose.

“I learned to hurdle quickly, surprising even my coach, who’s been coaching for 30 years,” James says. “I think that my teachability and my ability to pick up skills and technique really make me an asset.”

Rob Bartlett, Oxy’s head track and field and cross country coach, would agree. “He’s a phenomenal hurdler—actually the best we’ve recruited in my 19 years here,” Bartlett says. “James seems like a wonderful kid, too. We’re really excited that he’s a Tiger!”

James knew he wanted to go to a small school where he could pursue athletics and a major in marine biology, and Occidental fit the bill. “Oxy had a similar feel to Bellar­mine,” he says. “They have similar-size student bodies and an emphasis on connecting with the community. The groups I’ve hung out with have been super welcoming. I love that I can get anywhere within 10 minutes just by walking. I love the community, the campus, the teachers. It’s been aces so far.”

James has been fascinated by zoology and marine biology for as long as he can remember, interests sparked by a field trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in sixth grade. “I knew I really wanted to work with animals, and that hasn’t changed much,” he says.

Now, as a Tiger, James is applying some of the lessons he learned as a high school athlete to his studies and college career. “I’ve learned that things come slowly,” he says. “It’s taken me four years to get where I am. Maybe you improve 2 percent a day, but over a year that adds up. In track, you have to give yourself rest and recovery days. So don’t swamp yourself with homework and sign up for everything and expect to be able to do it. You’ve got to give yourself breaks and recovery days.”

The Advocate: Talia Kotovsky | Alameda

Growing up on picturesque Alameda Island in California’s San Francisco Bay, Talia Kotovsky took advantage of all the Bay Area had to offer, from hiking in Muir Woods to seeing live concerts at local arenas. She also was very involved as a student board member of  the Alameda Unified School District, Jewish Student Union president, and volunteer with sexual assault prevention groups.

“I experienced a lot of anti-Semitism growing up,” Talia explains. “There weren’t many Jews in Alameda, so my friend created the Jewish Student Union and I ended up joining. It was sweet to have somewhere to go and hang out, and the next year I ended up being president. It was nice to have an intentional community of people and connect.”

She also stayed active serving on the Youth Advisory Board of the School Based Health Center. “We’d do fairs with information on suicide prevention, sexual assault prevention, and mental health, and we’d run campaigns for preventing teen dating violence,” Talia explains. “I’m interested in learning and helping people and educating them, and I wanted to be involved.”

When it came time to choose a college, Talia was drawn to Oxy for a number of reasons. She wanted to stay in California and follow in her mother’s footsteps by coming to Los Angeles. “My mom went to UCLA, so I thought it’d be awesome to be in the same city she was at the same age she was,” Talia says. “I’m not an L.A. type of person, but I really liked how small Occidental was. It’s a whole college campus in the city but still removed enough to feel like its own place. And I love how passionate the students seemed. Once I visited Oxy, I automatically loved it.”

Like other first-years, Talia hasn’t declared a major, but psychology (one of the College’s most popular majors) has caught her interest. She hosts her own radio show on KOXY every Wednesday night, playing an eclectic mix of her favorite tunes from Paul Simon and Oasis to LCD Soundsystem and the Velvet Underground.

When Talia’s not studying or spinning tunes, she’s hiking and camping with the Oxy Outdoors Club. “I’m excited to do that because at home I spent a lot of time outdoors,” she says. From Mount Baldy and Joshua Tree to the plethora of scenic beaches that dot the coastline, Talia is discovering that Southern California’s natural beauty rivals even its Northern neighbor.

The Diplomat: Levi Medina | Los Angeles

Decorated military veteran and transfer student Levi Medina brings a host of valuable real-world experiences to his sophomore year of studies at Occidental. An active-duty Marine for over seven years who was deployed in the Pacific and the Middle East, Levi learned self-discipline, leadership skills, and teamwork during his military tenure.

When asked about the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal he received for exemplary services, he’s characteristically modest. “It was very humbling to be recognized,” Levi says. “I like to say that any award is not a recognition of self-effort. It’s recognition of the collective effort of your team and all that you accomplished together.”

A native Angeleno, Levi attended Los Angeles Valley College for a year before enlisting in the military. He always knew that he wanted to finish college and become the second person in his family to complete his four-year degree.

“My oldest brother, Earl [a graduate of Cal State Northridge], set the example, and it felt necessary for me to become more academically enriched as well,” he says. “I wanted to show my mom that I could do it, too.”

Levi plans to pursue a major in diplomacy and world affairs in pursuit of a career in the State Department. He also intends to participate in as many clubs as possible while at Oxy. “Occidental Run Club is healthy and fun. I want to play tennis and Ultimate Frisbee. The Mahjong Club sounds interesting. Hopefully by junior year, I’ll run for student office.”

Having grown up in L.A., Levi has several recommendations for his fellow Tigers who are new to the city. “Get out there and enjoy the cuisine,” he says. “Embrace the dynamic culture. Go to the beach. Hiking is a must. Venture out. SoCal has so much to offer.” 

Laura Ferreiro is a freelance writer in Los Angeles. This is her first article for Occidental.