Members of the Occidental Class of 2028.
Origin Stories
Before arriving at Occidental, these eight members of the Class of ’28 (and a transfer student from the Class of ’27) discovered their superpowers in the classroom, in their communities, in competition, and in service to their...

Occidental magazine brings you campus news, in-depth features, and profiles of exceptional alumni. For the 2024-25 academic year, the magazine will publish two print and digital issues (Fall 2024 and Spring 2025) and two digital-only issues (Summer 2024 and Winter 2025).

Robert Ellis, Occidental College
Norman Bridge Distinguished Professor of Spanish & Spanish and French Studies Robert Ellis has retired after 37 years at Oxy. This tribute is part of the Spring 2021 magazine.
Nalsey Tinberg
Professor of Mathematics Nalsey Tinberg is retiring after 41 years at Oxy. This tribute to her career is part of the Spring 2021 magazine.
Eric Frank
Professor of Art & Art History Eric Frank is retiring after 35 years at Oxy. This tribute to his career is part of the Spring 2021 magazine.
Professor of Cognitive Science and Philosophy Saul Traiger is retiring after 36 years at Oxy. This tribute to his career is part of the Spring 2021 magazine.
Irene Girton, Occidental College
Professor of Music Irene Girton is retiring after 21 years at Oxy. This tribute to her career is part of the Spring 2021 magazine.
Participants in Oxy Women in Philanthropy: Values, Vision, and Voice
An Oxy volunteer leadership panel examines the impact and influence of women in philanthropy
Arts in a Pandemic
Oxy faculty and students embrace, explore, and experiment with technology to keep arts classes, exhibits, and performances humming
Namandjé Bumpus ’03
With heart, energy, and a passion for research, Namandjé Bumpus ’03 becomes a role model for others as a trailblazing director at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Occidental Core Writing Program
Regardless of one’s major or career path, Oxy’s writing proficiency requirement has proved essential to professional success. But don’t just take our word for it
Thalia González 
Through her Rebellious Lawyering program, Thalia González’s students get hands-on experience in public-interest law, garnering new insights into the legal system and a head start on law...
COVID testing in the Quad, January 2021
After nearly a full year of remote learning, hope springs eternal of a return to campus this fall
Mary Jane Hewitt at Oxy (1974) and with Museum of African American Art in Los Angeles founder Samella Lewis (1984)
Professor Mary Jane Hewitt created a foundation for multicultural education at Occidental—and an anonymous gift recognizes her lasting influence
Anderson Center for Environmental Sciences
From campus landmarks to classroom spaces, the College has completed a burst of new construction during the pandemic
The Oxy Campaign For Good
With matching gift challenges and creative engagement opportunities, The Oxy Campaign For Good responds to the obstacles of COVID-19
Valerie Jarrett
Valerie Jarrett's calling toward a life of public service led her to a key role in the Obama White House—and she urged Oxy students to follow their "quiet voice"

Features

Professor William D. Ward at his desk in the Hall of Letters on Occidental’s Highland Park campus.
Unseen Occidental
From 1898 to 1914, Occidental College called Highland Park home—and a treasure trove of photos from the 1910s offers a glimpse of campus life before the move to Eagle Rock
Filmmaker Angelina Lee '22
Farm to Film
Combining her interest in sustainability with her prowess behind the camera, Angelina Lee ’22 harvests a new documentary around permaculture
Ben Dalgetty ’10 in the Office of the Mayor in Seattle.
Campaign Trails
Campaign Semester can be a gateway to a career in politics, advocacy work, or even elected office, as seven seasoned campaigners will attest
Members of the Occidental Class of 2028.
Origin Stories
Before arriving at Occidental, these eight members of the Class of ’28 (and a transfer student from the Class of ’27) discovered their superpowers in the classroom, in their communities, in...
Campaign Semester participants Cady Carr '27 and Rachel Obbard '27
Ground Game
For Campaign Semester students in battleground Pennsylvania and 13 other states, the road map to Election Day entails knocking on every door

First Word

From the Quad

Chris Kim, the Choi Family Director of Instrumental Music, conducts the Occidental Symphony in a performance of Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature.”
The Sounds of Branca
A concert for the ages celebrates the generations-spanning clientele of music attorney John Branca ’72 and the launch of the John Branca Institute for Music
Members of the Pacific Crossings “Dream Team”: From left, Nakatsuka, Gilder Lehrman program coordinator Leah Baer, administrative assistant Thea Wilson ’24, and Hong.
Teachable Moments
Associate Professor Jane Hong and a “dream team” of educators bring 150 years of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander history into focus
Projects for Peace participants Stephen Amankonah Sekyere ’27 and Eleanor Goddard ’25
A STEM Grows in Ghana
Projects for Peace participants Eleanor Goddard ’25 and Stephen Amankonah Sekyere ’27 bring technology—and hope—to middle-schoolers in West Africa
Tylor Lee '26 interned with Healthcare in Action, which provides healthcare and social services to unhoused people.
Summer in the City
A 10-week summer internship program pairs 28 Oxy students with 20 community partners to contribute to the work of advancing social justice in Los Angeles

Mixed Media

Carole MacNeil ’84 with her mom, Eleanor, in 2019.
Mixed Media
New books by Carole MacNeil ’84, Jessica C. Harris ’08, Jessica Keith ’00, Marsha de la O ’74, and the latest documentary short by César Martínez Barba ’17
Author Susan Coll '81, photographed at Politics & Prose in Washington, D.C.
Mixed Media
Susan Coll ’81’s latest comic novel, Professor Amy Lyford’s examination of the art and life of Dorothea Tanning, and more

Oxy Talk

As program director of Research Corporation for Science Advance- ment’s RCSA Fellows Initiative, Spain will support postdocs in physics, astronomy, and chemistry as they transition into their faculty careers.
To Chemistry and Beyond
After 28 years in the classroom and mentoring 74 students in her lab at Oxy, Professor Eileen Spain pivots to prepare future generations of faculty in the physical sciences
Suke Takayuki Kubota in an undated photo.
Oxy’s Samurai Grandmaster
Soke Takayuki Kubota (1934-2024) became a martial arts legend, developing his own karate style and amassing a worldwide following. And for more than 40 years, he taught his methods to the...

Last Page

Professor Emeritus Eric Newhall '67, author of Always Resisting
Resistance Remembered
Professor Emeritus Eric Newhall ’67 recounts the fallout from his decision to oppose the Vietnam War in a memoir more than 50 years in the making
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