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.

Photo of Occidental College student Aoife Mokalla

Student Sociology Spanish & French Studies Public Health Gender, Women, & Sexuality Studies

For sociology major Aoife Mokalla ’28, studying and working at Occidental College have helped her create change, build community, and dream about the future.

Joy Shigaki ’94

Alumni American Studies

Joy Shigaki 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 ambitious project yet.

Kat Lonsdorf ’09

Alumni Diplomacy & World Affairs

From Tel Aviv and Beirut to Minneapolis and Washington, NPR reporter Kat Lonsdorf follows the news wherever it leads, covering some of the defining stories of our time.

Student Computer Science Mathematics

For Andy Franck ’27, an Occidental College liberal arts education and close faculty mentorship opened the door to cutting-edge AI research at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory well before graduation.

Oxy student Mayah Aguilera '28 smiling with a tan baseball cap on

Student Kinesiology Urban & Environmental Policy

For kinesiology major Mayah Aguilera ’28, a faculty-led research experience in the Galápagos Islands opened new possibilities for connecting health, community, and personal growth.

Student Media Arts & Culture

Media Arts & Culture (MAC) major Qingxi Yang ’28 bridges classroom learning with community engagement, collaboration, and public art in Los Angeles through Occidental College’s Education in Action program.

Student Geology

Mira Hart ’26 pursued her passion for climate research through international fieldwork in the Philippines—crawling through caves, collecting stalagmites, and uncovering ancient data that could help predict Earth’s future.

Student Economics

As co-president of the Law Society, Raymond Arias ’26 has spent his college years reimagining what a pre-law club can look like at a small liberal arts college, ensuring it is not only a space for professional development, but also one rooted in connection, access, and shared growth.

Faculty Computer Science

Joel Walsh's research explores the intersection of educational technology, artificial intelligence, and natural language processing.

Faculty Computer Science

Meiqing Zhang’s research draws on computational methods, including machine learning and natural language processing, to study media and politics.

Vanessa Yingling

Vanessa R. Yingling

Faculty Kinesiology

Vanessa R. Yingling is a biomechanist, educator, and researcher focused on bone strength development and health, with a particular interest in translating her research into programs or information to benefit the public.

Tiffany Wheatland-Disu heashot with beige blazer

Tiffany Wheatland-Disu

Faculty Black Studies

Tiffany Wheatland-Disu’s research and scholarship bridge the histories of decolonization, Black radicalism, and Black political thought.