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National Public Radio correspondent Kat Lonsdorf ’09 at NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Kat Meets World
From Tel Aviv and Beirut to Minneapolis and Washington, NPR reporter Kat Lonsdorf ’09 follows the news wherever it leads, covering some of the defining stories of our time
Joy Shigaki ’94, president and CEO of Friends of Waterfront Park in Seattle.
Bringing Joy to Her Community
Joy Shigaki ’94 turned her lifelong commitment to social justice and community building into a career dedicated to creating inclusive public spaces—and Seattle’s Waterfront Park is her most...
Blue Film director Elliot Tuttle '22, second from left, with the film's stars.
Rhapsody in Blue
Elliot Tuttle '22's microbudget debut feature is one of the year's breakout indie films—but getting there was its own odyssey
Professor of Sociology Emeritus Jan Lin, photographed in June 2026.
Jan Lin’s Street Stories
For 28 years, Occidental’s renowned urban and community sociologist has connected the College with its surrounding neighborhoods through research, teaching, and thoughtful partnerships
Barack Obama '83 on the campaign trail in 2004.
Center Stage
From Fall 2004: Twenty-five years after his arrival at Oxy, Illinois senatorial candidate Barack Obama ’83 electrified millions with his star-making speech at the Democratic National...
Bryan Scott ’17 at Jack Kemp Stadium in February 2026.
Out of the Foxhole
After smashing multiple records at Oxy and gutting out an eight-year career in professional football, what’s next for Bryan Scott ’17?
Members of the 1971 Oxy rugby team.
Pitch Perfect
Larry Layne ’71 came to love rugby as a student-athlete—and an estate gift will provide a swift kick to its future at Oxy
Derek Shearer photographed in March 2026
The Ambassadude Abides
As a diplomat, dealmaker, and master connector, Derek Shearer brought global leaders, policymakers, and a U.S. president to the classroom over his 45 years at Oxy
L-R: Associate professors Alaa Abdelfattah (economics), Tiffany Wheatland-Disu (Black studies), Madeline Wander ’08 (urban and environmental policy), Joel Walsh (computer science), Margaret Gaida (history), and Kai Yui Samuel Chan (politics).
16 Faculty, 16 Stories
Fifteen new tenure-track faculty and a veteran kinesiology professor discuss their favorite classes, their passion for teaching, and what brought them to Oxy (hint: Location!)
Dean Simons ’59 and John Ingle ’50 in Moliere’s The Would-Be Gentleman (1962)
Theatre Brats
Two children of Oxy professors grew up immersed in the magic of Shakespeare, Shaw, and Gilbert & Sullivan—in an era when a plucky little drama festival became their whole world
Occidental alumni Eric Chen, Tammy Bird, Mike Schmidt, and Jenny Dean Schmidt
Catalysts for the Public Good
From uplifting inner-city scholars in South Central L.A. to prison moms in Colorado to a Monterey Park community in need, Oxy alumni embrace the College's mission
Occidental biology major Hannah Tawadrous '26
Lessons in Biology
Oxy’s biology program blends exploration and experimentation, empowering students to uncover and explain life’s diverse ecosystems