Oxy Stories | Occidental College

From academics to real-world impact, explore stories from our community that highlight the people and experiences making Occidental College a place of opportunity, discovery, and success.

Noa Richard '22

Student Comparative Studies in Literature & Culture Critical Theory & Social Justice

Noa Richard, an Obama Scholar, was awarded a Humanity in Action Fellowship to study the history of human rights with a group of students and alumni over the summer (this year’s program will proceed in a virtual format).

Kayla Nolan '11

Kayla Nolan ’11

Alumni Politics

Using running as a foundation for a better life, Girls Gotta Run executive director Kayla Nolan brings hope to school-age girls in Ethiopia one step at a time.

Zander Granath '20

Student Sociology

Raised in Salt Lake City, Zander Granath has a passion for athletics and public service. He has been an active leader on- and off-campus, from Admission Office fellow and DEB liaison to Peer Health Exchange leader and Dodgers Foundation intern.

Alumna Kenturah Davis '02

Kenturah Davis ’02

Alumni Art & Art History

Kenturah Davis explores the relationship between words and humanity through her intricate portraiture—and L.A. Metro riders will be seeing a lot more of her work.

Professor Sharla Fett

Faculty American Studies History Black Studies

Meet Sharla Fett of American Studies (chair), history and Black Studies, who works in the fields of 19th-century Atlantic World slavery, the antebellum U.S. South, and race, gender and health.

Cognitive science major Sally Zhou

Student Cognitive Science

As a cognitive science major, Sally Zhou’s interdisciplinary path allowed her to perfect her writing skills while working with faculty mentors in the lab and doing an international research project. Now, she’s planning a job in speech language pathology after graduation.

Professor Mariska Bolyanatz Brown

Mariška Bolyanatz Brown

Faculty Spanish & French Studies Linguistics

Meet Mariška Bolyanatz Brown of Spanish & French Studies and linguistics, a linguist whose work focuses on socially conditioned variation in speech production and perception in Spanish.

Alumnus Chris Coker '95

Chris Coker ’95

Alumni Economics

A mission-driven serial entrepreneur, Twister Biotech President and CEO Chris Coker is focused on using nanotechnology and non-viral gene therapy to tackle intractable diseases.

Faculty Biology Marine Biology

Meet Shana Goffredi of biology, who investigates the symbiotic partnerships between bacteria and invertebrates. Recently, she was chief scientist on a five-day research cruise exploring the deep sea off the coast of Southern California.

Citlaly Madrid

Student Latino/a & Latin American Studies Education

For first-generation college student Citlaly Madrid, the liberal arts unlocked a love for Latin American history and the field of education. She plans to share this passion after graduation by working as a college counselor for low-income communities.

Michael Amoruso

Faculty Religious Studies

Meet Michael Amoruso of religious studies, who teaches courses on religion in the Americas, including thematic courses on issues like race and ethnicity, politics and violence.

Alumna Lencia Kebede

Lencia Kebede ’16

Alumni Diplomacy & World Affairs Politics

Singing and performing wasn’t Lencia Kebede’s main focus as a Diplomacy & World Affairs and politics double major at Oxy. But less than four years after graduating, she’s touring the country playing her dream roles on Broadway.