SA���ʴ�ý Outcomes

Alumni from the Arts & Humanities

Joe Rohde ’77

Studio Art Senior Vice President of Creative, Walt Disney Imagineering

“The work that I do now leverages heavily on the type of liberal arts education that I got from Occidental.”

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Dhyandra Lawson ’08

Art & Art History Curator, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)

“Occidental exposed me to new ideas. During my time at SA��ʴ�ý, I grew as a critical thinker, arguably the most important asset to my curatorial practice.”

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Ethan Glass '19

Media Arts & Culture, Economics CEO & Co-founder, Ocra

“Students have the opportunity to hone vital skills at SA��ʴ�ý. The leadership skills developed from co-captaining the Men's Soccer Team and the storytelling prowess taught in the Media Arts department contribute daily to my profession.”

Tor Myhren '94

English VP of Marketing Communications, Apple

"I really got my first advertising job from the short stories and poetry I had written at SA��ʴ�ý. I guess that proved to my boss at the time that I could at least write."

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Esther Teodoro '95

Music, Psychology Chief Curator, TripBeta

“I feel immense gratitude for not just what I learned in the classroom, but for learning how to navigate the world with a more critical lens rather than just an ‘it is what it is’ attitude. SA��ʴ�ý [helped me learn] to view the world in shades of grey rather than black and white.”

Shanna Devine '08

Critical Theory & Social Justice Director, Office of the Whistleblower Ombuds, U.S. House of Representatives

“At SA��ʴ�ý, I was constantly thinking about the fact that I wanted to pursue a path that would allow me to be part of transformative change and to help address systemic injustices.”

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Meko Winbush '03

Art & Art History Filmmaker, Project Greenlight participant

“[At SA��ʴ�ý], you actually get to know people on an intimate level. These people become your friends and family, and even 20 years later, you’re still willing to jump in and help each other.”

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Shea Backes '18

French, Sociology Prevention Training Specialist, APLA Health

“I chose SA��ʴ�ý because of its social justice reputation, both in terms of an education and a community. That learning and cultural environment, as well as the pillars that are so important to SA��ʴ�ý, really did shape my experience.”

Kristine White '20

English Journalist; winner, Pulitzer Prize for Public Service

“My liberal arts education gave me a strong foundation of critical thinking and communication skills that I use every day as a journalist—from breaking news to data analysis to investigative reporting.”

Carrie Wade '10

Music Manager, Inclusion Strategy, Netflix

“Being able to look under the surface of the things that you're learning, understand the question behind the question and always look at things analytically—SA��ʴ�ý challenged me to do that in every single class.”

Alison Hawkins '87

English Managing Principal, Artemis Real Estate Partners

“I did well in law school. It’s about reading, analyzing, and writing, and with my SA��ʴ�ý education I was well-prepared.”

Alumni from the Social Sciences

Keala Ede '00

politics, psychology Judge, Minnesota Court of Appeals

“One of the biggest things that SA��ʴ�ý emphasized from start to finish was critical thinking, intellectual curiosity, and the ability to communicate effectively. I’ve used those throughout my educational and professional career.”

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Evita Chávez '15

Urban & Environmental Policy Senior Program Officer, Housing; LISC Bay Area

“At SA��ʴ�ý, there's such support to be more than just a student. I got to learn a lot through being a resident advisor, through studying abroad and the various internships I was encouraged to have during my summers. I got to really put my learning into action.”

Chris Coker '95

Economics President & CEO, Velvet Therapeutics

"The liberal arts provide a disciplined, rational way to undertake learning new things—and the most important thing any young person pursuing any career can have is the ability to learn quickly.”

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Sara El-Amine '07

Diplomacy & World Affairs Vice President, Community; Chime

“SA��ʴ�ý gave me incredible, diverse, critical-thinker friends; professors with whom I am in touch to this day; a strong, disciplinary framework in diplomacy and world affairs and economics; and polished writing skills.”

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Kristin Oberiano '16

History, American Studies History professor, Wesleyan University

“Throughout my entire experience at SA��ʴ�ý, I had great professors who were willing to take the time to give edits and teach me little skills with every single paper so that my writing continued to improve no matter what.”

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Yasmin Vossoughian '00

History Anchor, MSNBC

“One of the main reasons why I went to SA��ʴ�ý, and it rang true, was the diversity.”

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Kira Elliott Beason '19

Economics, Diplomacy & World Affairs Manager, Resolution Economics

“I always knew that I wanted to embark on a career that aligned with my interests and would challenge me, and the liberal arts education that Occidental offered me allowed me to figure out what that could look like.”

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Eddie Jauregui '98

Public Policy Partner, Holland & Knight LLP, former federal prosecutor

“Occidental’s values of excellence and equity have sustained me throughout my career. They are values that serve not just one’s personal success, but the cause of justice and the legal profession as a whole.”

Marissa Chan '17

Urban & Environmental Policy Doctoral program, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

“A liberal arts degree allows you to develop as not only a student but also a person who is able to give back. Both my coursework and my professors helped with that.”

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Michael Gonzalez '96

Diplomacy & World Affairs Foreign Service Officer

“The skills I learned [at SA��ʴ�ý]—tight and compelling writing, strategic analysis, inferences from incomplete information, a compulsion to dig deeper to identify what motivates people—have been fundamental to my career success.”

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Lencia Kebede '16

Diplomacy & World Affairs, Politics Broadway actress, Wicked

“Being involved in so many different things and surrounded by such talented people, I had no choice but to be organized, work hard and leverage my resources at SA��ʴ�ý, and really make the best of my experience.”

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Andrew Heath '04

Economics CFO/COO Made By Gather

“SA��ʴ�ý is one of those schools where it seemed as though everyone had some philanthropic thing they were doing, whether cleaning up the L.A. River or tutoring underprivileged students or getting involved in politics.”

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Kristin Wood '87

Political Science, Government CEO, August Interactive

“Professor Larry Caldwell challenged me to become a better writer. It took a ton of work, but the work paid off. I passed the writing requirement and then had a 20-year career writing for the President of the United States.”

Adam Portnoy '93

Public Policy CEO, The RMR Group

“Hearing different perspectives and meeting people from all walks of life helped me the most. In commercial real estate, you have to be sensitive to different constituencies’ needs. I learned that early at SA��ʴ�ý.”

Olga Rodriguez '95

Public Policy Director, Public Policy Institute of California

“[SA��ʴ�ý taught me about] tolerance and about putting yourself in the shoes of others. I do that with my staff, and I teach them what I got from SA��ʴ�ý: all issues are complicated and there's not necessarily one right or wrong answer.”

Alumni from the Sciences

Lauren Berger '19

Geology PhD student, NASA grant recipient

“I started interning at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory because I got a research opportunity at SA��ʴ�ý as a sophomore, and then those JPL internships got me into graduate school.”

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Laura Boykin Okalebo '96

Biology Senior scientific consultant, BioTeam

“The beauty of SA��ʴ�ý is that there aren't any graduate students. So the undergraduates get to do the research. I published my very first paper at Occidental.”

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Enrique López '89

Psychology Neuropsychologist, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

"SA��ʴ�ý helped me to be at the edge, and be uncomfortable, but also to figure out what needs to happen next."

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Sam Sharp '96

Biology, Politics Managing Director, Piper Sandler investment bank

“[At SA��ʴ�ý, I was] in dialogue about government, politics and civilization, learning about how humans treat each other and organize themselves. Those lessons are with me now—they’ve become part of how I view the world.”

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Namandjé Bumpus '03

Biology Former Principal Deputy Commissioner, FDA

“I’m a scientist and my lab works on developing drugs for infectious disease, and I got my start at SA��ʴ�ý. I think an important aspect of education at SA��ʴ�ý is the depth and breadth of scientific exposure you get—it really is a gem.”

Jason Dworkin '91

Biochemistry Astrobiologist, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

“Nobel laureates and high-level research professors aren't interested in working with undergraduates. SA��ʴ�ý was the perfect environment for me.”

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Cheryl Prigodich '06

Psychology Principal Deputy Director, Center for Disease Control

“My time at SA��ʴ�ý helped prepare me for my professional career. I was afforded a breadth of experiences and received constant mentoring and guidance. These opportunities taught me discipline and hard work, helped me figure out what I’m passionate about...and prepared me for a life of public service.”

Dan Springer '85

Economics, Mathematics Former CEO, Fortune 500 Technology Company

"SA��ʴ�ý's Blyth Fund was a great life experience. We learned how to evaluate companies and whether we thought they would be successful investments. It created a huge interest in investing for me."

Eddie Gorton '01

Psychology Principal, Colfax Charter Elementary School

"My SA��ʴ�ý liberal arts education helped shape how I see the world; it fortified the ideal that building community is the key to success. The better we know each other, the better we are to each other."

Sam Bergen '04

Cognitive Science Chief Marketing Officer, Illumination

“I always appreciated the access to teachers and administrators and this feeling that the school just really wanted you to be the best version of yourself.”

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Collrane Frivold '15

Biochemistry Technical Officer, PATH global health organization

"As a global health professional, giving presentations and writing reports is an important part of my job. The communication skills I developed at SA��ʴ�ý have been invaluable to my career and success."

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Ed Perezic '17

Mathematics Manager, Brand Strategy; Taco Bell

"There's a curiosity that comes with a liberal arts education—the thought that discovering something new is only a conversation away. That energy led me to continue to learn and ultimately find something I love doing."

Alex Urry '16

Biochemistry Senior Policy Adviser, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries

"The world is a complex place. But through its curriculum, SA��ʴ�ý helps you understand that complexity, as well as the interconnectedness of wide-ranging factors. That's been critical to my work in the political and policy system."

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