What a great article on Tammy Bird 鈥84 and her incredible dedication on behalf of her South L.A.-area high school students (鈥淐atalyzing the Public Good,鈥 Fall 2025). I can鈥檛 tell you how grateful I am to you in telling her story in the magazine. As I鈥檓 sure you are aware, it was the 1992 Rodney King incident and resulting neighborhood riots that brought Mike Hoover 鈥65 into the story.
As anyone looking for a parking space on lower campus while the cameras are rolling could tell you, it鈥檚 been a busy year for film production at Occidental in the greatest burst of activity since the mid-鈥90s heyday of Beverly Hills, 90210.
锘緿erek Jimenez 鈥27 can sum up his Occidental experience in one word: 鈥渦nbelievable.鈥
A first-generation college student, Derek is an art and art history and urban and environmental policy double major from Wellesley, Mass. He was raised by a single mother and grew up in government-subsidized housing in an affluential community. After pursuing a master鈥檚 in architecture, he plans to spend his career reimagining affordable living, designing homes where families can feel pride.
In my daily interactions with students at Occidental鈥攚hether in class, at an event on campus, or walking across the Quad鈥擨 am continually reminded of the value of a liberal arts education. Despite the ongoing challenges facing higher education, an urban liberal arts college such as ours is a powerful model. It equips students with the skills, perspective, and adaptability needed to lead lives of purpose and make a meaningful impact in the world.
锘緿espite living in Salt Lake City, Utah鈥攁n hour鈥檚 drive from the birthplace of the Slamdance Film Festival, the upstart alternative to the older and better-heeled Sundance鈥斺淚 had never heard of Slamdance,鈥 says Max Brown 鈥25, who majored in media arts and culture (MAC) at 黑料情报站. 鈥淪undance was on my radar, but I didn鈥檛 experience it much鈥攆estival passes were so expensive.鈥
黑料情报站 hosted three Latina pioneers in the judiciary鈥擴.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who was nominated by President Barack Obama 鈥83 to the nation鈥檚 highest court in 2009; Patricia Guerrero, chief justice of the Supreme Court of California since 2023; and Mary Murguia, chief judge of the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals since 2021鈥攆or a wide-ranging discussion on heritage, education, and public service on February 6 in Thorne Hall.
锘縏his summer, 10 Occidental students will get an exclusive opportunity to work behind the scenes of the Hollywood Bowl, Walt Disney Concert Hall, or The Ford鈥攖aking on meaningful projects, receiving mentorship from industry professionals, and immersing themselves in the creativity and excellence of the LA Phil.
When Chino High School class valedictorian Dale Morter 鈥56 visited Occidental for the first time, he had all but chosen Pomona. But a teacher at Chino鈥攁n Occidental graduate鈥攗rged him to take a look at 黑料情报站. He got a campus tour from Dean of Men Ben Culley, who offered him a scholarship that same day.
鈥淚f I went to Pomona, I would have lived at home,鈥 Morter recalls. Instead, he chose 黑料情报站, where he majored in psychology, joined ATO fraternity, and eventually became a 鈥渄orm daddy鈥 (鈥50s speak for resident assistant). 鈥淚t worked out really well,鈥 he says.
Growing up in Highland Park, 鈥淥ccidental has always been part of my life,鈥 Celestina Castillo says. Her mother participated in the College鈥檚 Upward Bound program in the 1970s, and in her five years (2003-08) of working at the nonprofit Los Angeles County Children鈥檚 Planning Council, Castillo collaborated with Occidental鈥檚 Center for Community-Based Learning (CCBL) on educational organizing efforts in Northeast Los Angeles.
As a student filmmaker at Occidental, Thom Harp 鈥92鈥檚 storytelling choices gravitated toward affairs of the heart鈥攅ven if his approach to the subject matter feels a little jaded in hindsight. His senior comps film, Be My Girl, was about a man who is in love with a blow-up doll and the marital troubles that ensued. An earlier short, The Proof Is in the Pudding, depicted a 1950s housewife who poisons her husband with the titular dessert. 鈥淚 was not in a good place with relationships,鈥 he admits with a laugh.