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Over its 138-year history, Occidental has educated generations of students who have pursued lives dedicated to “the public good.” That phrase goes to the heart of Oxy’s mission, which states: “The distinctive interdisciplinary and multicultural focus of the College’s academic program seeks to foster both the fulfillment of individual aspirations and a deeply rooted commitment to the public good.”

From athletes and activists to artists and enthusiasts, the 437 members of the Occidental Class of 2029 are making their own kind of music. Hailing from 21 countries, 37 states, the District of Columbia, and the North Mariana Islands, each Tiger is eager to make a mark on the world, whether through combating climate change, improving children’s mental health, or building better sports teams.  

Let’s start with the deep sea spiders. Mere centimeters long, these strange translucent creatures crawl far beneath the California seascape, consuming methane gas emissions and converting the harmful greenhouse gas into sugars and fats that support the inky black netherworld’s ecosystem. And three recently discovered sea spider species —one with ominously spiky legs—would have gone undiscovered even longer were it not for a research team co-led by Occidental Professor of Biology Shana Goffredi.

When Amie Moberg Hammond ’95 was president of Delta Omicron Tau sorority, she had to race back to the Delta House after cross country practice because they were hosting a recruitment event. “Everyone was dressed up, while I showed up in my running clothes and a sweaty ponytail,” she recalls. “I felt out of place but I went ahead as I was.”

In the late 1920s, Occidental President Remsen Bird announced an ambitious plan to build sorority houses on campus near the newly constructed women’s dormitories, Orr and Erdman halls. “It was to be an elaborate complex, including a swimming pool and tennis courts,” Addie McMenamin ’40 wrote in a history of Alpha Lambda Phi Alpha sorority. “Alphas raised almost enough for a down payment on one of the proposed campus sorority houses —and then the plan was called off.”

It was luck of the room draw that brought first-years Sunny Tuazon of San Jose and Alyssa Zatarain of Inglewood together in Chilcott Hall this fall. But they quickly found that they had much in common. Both are first-generation college students, both have pretty much settled on a major, and both are in Eagle Rock thanks in part to the generosity of current-year scholarship support that is making the Oxy experience more accessible.

Writing is a way of drawing for Kenturah Davis ’02, whose art has been exhibited on every continent and is held in more than 25 collections. When she was commissioned to create the official portrait of Occidental’s 16th president, Harry J. Elam Jr., “Without any hesitation I said ‘Yes,’” she recalled.

Thus began a collaboration between the artist and her subject that culminated in the unveiling of the finished portrait, fittingly enough, during a Homecoming & Family Weekend ceremony that brought Elam and his wife, Michele, back to campus October 17.

For the second time in three years, the Oxy men’s soccer team punched its ticket to the NCAA National Tournament, securing a 1-0 victory over Redlands on November before a boisterous home crowd at Patterson Field. Following a scoreless first half, the match remained knotted until the 64th minute of play, when Charlie Miller ’27 broke through, assisted by Elijah Edelman ’27, to score what would be the winning goal. Oxy’s defense also played a critical role, with goalkeeper Sammy Gramlich ’27 recording a late save to maintain the shutout.

Nestled in the Caribbean lowlands of Costa Rica, La Selva Research Station spans more than 1,600 hectares of protected primary and secondary rainforest. For over 60 years, it has served as a living laboratory for some of the world’s most impactful tropical biology research, welcoming scientists, students, and conservationists drawn by the chance to explore and contribute to tropical science in the field. 

Just Remember the Happy Hours: A Memoir of Innocence and Experience, by Jim Burns. From the frozen lakes of Wisconsin to the sun-scorched shadows of Paradise Valley, this coming-of-age memoir traces one boy’s fractured journey through the uneven terrain of love, loss, and family collapse. Jim’s childhood unfolds against the backdrop of his father’s unravelling sobriety, his mother’s bravado, and a background cast of socialites and misfits.