Sox and Bonds
Chris Varelas '85 has a passion for sports, a knack for structuring complex technology deals, a loyalty to his Oxy family—and the uncanny ability of being at the nexus of history
Coming to America
Decades before they joined the diplomacy and world affairs faculty at Oxy, Sophal Ear, Lan Chu, and Sanjeev Khagram immigrated to the United States as refugees. How have their journeys...
Good Vibrations
With a Hall of Fame clientele from the Beach Boys and Bee Gees to the Sex Pistols and Santana, John Branca '72 has taken the art of the deal to new heights—not bad for a kid from New York...
No Bull
Midway through his eighth year in office, President Veitch reflects on the accomplishments and controversies that have shaped his time at Oxy so far—and why he's bullish on the challenges...
Obama inauguration Occidental College
School of Barack
Prior to 2008, Occidental was best known in many circles as an academic "hidden gem" (and as a popular film location). But the nation's 44th president put Oxy on the map—just as the College...
Alumna Sara El-Amine
Yes She Can
Sara El-Amine '07 joined the Obama campaign at ground zero as a bilingual volunteer in Iowa. Having organized thousands of volunteers as a Washington insider, she's prepared to be a...
Sam Farmer
Most Valuable Reporter
Sam Farmer '88 has angered kickers, climbed mountains with a commissioner, and covered the NFL in a city without a team. Now the Rams have come home to Los Angeles—and he's still outrunning...
Guts & Glory
When Bob Gutowski soared his highest, and Oxy's fab four ran their fastest, Chuck Coker's 1957 track team trampled all over the record books
Urban Outfitters
Eduardo Santana '99 and Eve Critton '15 lead the ground force to renew, reinvent, and revivify downtown L.A.'s Pershing Square
Oxy alumni Lindy West
Triumph of the Shrill
Lindy West ’04 speaks out for millennials with her pointed and frequently funny observations on feminism, social justice, and self-image. Trolls, bullies, and body-shamers, beware.
Justice is Served
From Winter 2003: Dubbed the "Smiling Assassin" as a prosecutor, Jacqueline Nguyen '87 now wields a gavel as the first Vietnamese-American woman appointee to the California state judiciary
Heart Like a Wheel
Undeterred by life's obstacles—including the 15 surgeries he's endured related to his rheumatoid arthritis—Professor Roger Boesche and wife Mandy share a love for the world, adventure, and...
A Movement, Not a Moment
A long-simmering debate over diversity and equity at Oxy came to a boil in November, with hundreds of students demanding institutional reform. As a new semester dawns with the promise of...