Connect with one of our incredible Admission Office Senior Fellows or Interns!
The college search process is not just about choosing a place to study, it’s also about choosing a community to join. Occidental prides itself on its dynamic, engaged and passionate students and we’re excited to introduce you to them.
Each of the current students below has volunteered to chat with you and candidly answer any questions you might have about life at Oxy. They’ve been in your position before and are ready to serve as a resource for you now. They’re looking forward to connecting with you, so don’t hesitate to reach out by email.
You can also read student profiles from various academic majors across Oxy.
Hannah Christensen (she/her)
Class of: 2024
Hometown: Seattle, WA
Major: Diplomacy & World Affairs
Minor: History
Email: hchristensen@oxy.edu
Bio: Hannah is a Senior from Seattle, Washington, but was born in Sydney, Australia, and lived there for 8 years. She is a Diplomacy & World Affairs major and a History minor. Hannah studied abroad in Tunisia during the Fall 2022 semester and recently returned from the Oxy at the UN program in New York City. At Oxy, Hannah spent two years on the ASOC Senate, as a First-Year Class Senator and as the Director of Academic Affairs. She participated in the 2023 URC Summer Research Program as a recipient of the Walter B Gerken Fellowship for Public Policy and is using her research to write her senior thesis on ethnoreligious nationalism. Hannah is also a program assistant with the Young Initiative on the Global Political Economy and helps run events for the DWA department. You can often find her in the Green Bean doing work or catching up with friends. In her free time, Hannah loves reading, going to cafes, and exploring new restaurants in Los Angeles.
Matalin Crossgrove (she/her)
Class of: 2024
Hometown: New York City, NY
Major: Black Studies
Minors: American Studies and Education
Email: mcrossgrove@oxy.edu
Bio: Matalin is a rising senior from New York City. After graduating from the Trevor Day School in Manhattan, Matalin joined the Oxy community as a first year in the Fall 2020 semester. During her second year, she declared a major in Black Studies, combining her interest in history with music, art, and other forms of popular culture. Matalin, along with other students in her major, has conducted interviews with prospective Black Studies professors, providing insight into the expansion of her department. As a junior, she expanded her academic curriculum by declaring minors in American Studies and Education. In addition to her academic involvement, Matalin works as a college ambassador for Oxy’s Neighborhood Partnership Program, a position which allows her to familiarize local students with liberal arts programs in higher education, and is a member of the Oxy Book Club, Multicultural Identifying Student Club, and Persuasion club, a weekly open discussion forum. Matalin is passionate about education, and hopes to provide prospective students and their families with valuable support as they navigate the college search process.
Yemale Febres (she/her)
Class of: 2027
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
Major: Diplomacy & World Affairs
Minor: Latino & Latin American Studies
Email: febres@oxy.edu
Bio: Yemale, born in Lima, Peru but raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is a first-year student hoping to major in Diplomacy & World Affairs and minor in Latin American Studies. Besides being an equity ambassador with the Office of Admission, she also volunteers with Upward Bound and comparte, and participates in the Latin Student Union, as well as the social media and events manager for Azucar! Yemale loves to hang out with friends and loves making new ones too.
Jaymes Griggs (he/they)
Class of: 2027
Hometown: Louisville, KY
Major: Biology (with a concentration in Environmental Biology)
Minor: Urban & Environmental Policy
Email: jgriggs@oxy.edu
Bio: Jaymes is a first-year student from Louisville, Kentucky, starting a major in Biology (with a concentration in Environmental Biology), and minoring in Urban & Environmental Policy. Jaymes attributes his passion for environmental studies to a diverse group of intelligent and compassionate educators, as well as personal battles against environmental racism. After he heard about Occidental from a senior, who shared his interest and struggles, Jaymes decided to research Occidental and found no better school to pursue his dreams! Jaymes is the first in his family to attend college as well as the first generation in his family to be openly LGBTQIA+ and is dedicated to ensuring these identities feel welcomed at Oxy both before and after admission. On campus, he is an Equity Ambassador for Occidental’s Intercultural Community Center (ICC) where he facilitates programming and dialogue for underrepresented groups on campus. He is also the Community Liaison for Occidentals First-Generation Low-Income Student Union (FLISU) and the Executive Director for the Sexuality and Gender Acceptance Alliance (SAGA). He has also participated in the Occidental’s Multicultural Summer Institute!
Christopher Haliburton (he/him)
Class of: 2024
Hometown: Fontana, CA
Major: Diplomacy & World Affairs
Minor: Black Studies
Email: chaliburton@oxy.edu
Bio: Christopher was born and raised in the Inland Empire, commonly referred to as the IE. He grew up in Fontana, California and went to High School in Claremont at the Webb Schools of California. At Oxy, Christopher is studying Diplomacy & World Affairs and minoring in Black Studies. For the past 2 years, he has worked with the Residential Education and Housing Service office as a Resident Advisor. Chris also runs with the Track and Field team year-long, competing in short sprint races. In the fall, he practices with the Detox Ultimate Frisbee team. In his spare time, Chris likes to work out, play video games with his friends, and watch movies and TV shows. He’s a huge movie buff, and his favorite movie genres are horror and action. After college, he is hoping to either attend law school or go into business.
Liisa Halloran (she/her)
Class of: 2024
Hometown: Newton, MA
Major: Media Arts & Culture
Minor: Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies
Email: lhalloran@oxy.edu
Bio: Liisa is a senior Media Arts & Culture (MAC) major originally from Newton, Massachusetts. She is also minoring in Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies and spent this past summer researching patriarchal violence in southern Italy. She is a recipient of the Young Initiative Grant which allowed her to shoot a documentary examining this tradition of violence and the larger implications of what it means to be a child of an immigrant. Liisa is heavily involved with athletics, as she was on the Occidental Women’s Volleyball team for 3 years, is on the board of the Student Athlete Coordinating Committee, and works for Oxy Athletics as a videographer. She is a member of the Womxn in Film and Television Club and runs the annual Occidental Film Festival.
Jonah Magill (he/him)
Class of: 2024
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Major: Critical Theory & Social Justice
Minor: Education
Email: jmagill@oxy.edu
Bio: Raised in the Northern suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, Jonah looked forward to attending undergraduate school in the sunnier and warmer climate of Los Angeles. Currently a rising senior (‘24), Jonah is majoring in Critical Theory & Social Justice (CTSJ), with a minor in Education. In addition to his responsibilities as an Admissions Intern, Jonah is an all-conference athlete 400-meter hurdles on our track & field team. Furthermore, he contributes to the success of our national qualifying ultimate frisbee team. Outside of sports, Jonah actively participates in various clubs and organizations on campus. He serves as the fundraising chair for the Habitat for Humanity Club, engages with the Neighborhood Partnership Program, and loves working with younger children at our on-campus daycare, the Child Development Center. As Jonah approaches graduation, he envisions his future in public policy. He plans to pursue a master's degree and hopes to work within the educational system, utilizing his passion to bring about positive change.
Raina Pahade (they/them)
Class of: 2024
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Major: Critical Theory & Social Justice
Minors: Studio Art and Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies
Email: rpahade@oxy.edu
Bio: Raina, born in New York, is currently a senior, pursuing a major in Critical Theory & Social Justice. They are also double minoring in Studio Art and Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies forming a holistic approach to understanding the complex intersections of art, identity, culture, and power. In addition to their studies Raina enjoys creating mixed-media paintings, where they challenge norms and foster conversations on gender and sexuality within the South Asian diaspora. Raina is actively engaged in campus life as co-president of the South Asian Students Association (SASA), and a choreographer for Dance Pro where they merge Bollywood and Bharatanatyam. Their commitment to social justice extends globally, as Raina is also in pursuit of a Fulbright scholarship which would take them to Bangalore, India. There, they aim to conduct in-depth research on the stories, histories, and movements of queer South Asian femmes. This research will provide a foundation for an art project and exhibition that will incorporate regional art practices and oral histories learned through workshops with these communities.
Zander Patent (he/him)
Class of: 2024
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Major: Politics
Email: apatent@oxy.edu
Bio: Zander is a Senior from Chicago, Illinois. He is a politics major who is interested in pursuing a law degree following graduation. Zander is the Student Body President on campus. He loves interacting with his fellow students and making sure their voices are heard by the student government and the College at large. Previously, Zander was a sophomore class representative, and the Senate Director of Policy in his Junior year, in addition to serving as a Residential Advisor for two years. In his free time, Zander enjoys power-lifting and playing the guitar.
Kassi Price (she/her)
Class of: 2024
Hometown: Louisville, KY
Major: Biology (with a concentration in Marine Biology)
Email: kprice@oxy.edu
Bio: Kassi is a senior from Louisville, Kentucky, finishing a major in Biology (with a concentration in Marine Biology). She has known since she was a little kid that marine biology is her passion, so after graduating from Fern Creek High School in Louisville, Kassi came to Oxy in the fall of 2020 to pursue her dreams. Kassi is the first in her family to attend college and loves to provide advice and a sense of community to other incoming students who may be nervous about the college experience. On campus, she has worked in the admissions office since her sophomore year, starting out as a Tour Guide and is now a Senior Fellow. She is also a College Ambassador for our Neighborhood Partnership Program, an organization on campus that seeks to provide information about the college experience to local first-generation, low-income students in the Los Angeles area. She has also just started her second year of research in the Marine Ecology Lab on campus where she will be completing a senior Honors Thesis on sponge bioerosion. She is also a member of the Biology Club, the First-Generation Low-Income Student Union, and Dance Production Club.
Ella Raziel (she/her)
Class of: 2024
Hometown: Inglewood, CA
Majors: Theater and Spanish
Minor: Linguistics
Email: eraziel@oxy.edu
Bio: Ella is a rising senior from Los Angeles (Inglewood specifically). She is a theater and Spanish double major with a minor in linguistics. While working as the Campus Visit Coordinator Intern and Summer Intern for the Office of Admission, she found a love for interacting with prospective students and is so excited to keep doing so as a Senior Fellow. On campus, she is a part of the Occidental Glee Club and theater productions (both tech and performing). She is the co-vice president for Hillel and has been a dancer in Dance Production since her first year at Oxy. This year she joined WAC, one of the ultimate frisbee teams. Off-campus, you might find Ella enjoying some dairy-free ice cream at Magpies.
Levi Trestan (he/him)
Class of: 2024
Hometown: Dover, MA
Major: Politics
Minor: History
Email: ltrestan@oxy.edu
Bio: Levi is a senior from Dover, Massachusetts. He is a politics major with a minor in history, and is interested in pursuing law school after graduation. Levi has worked at the admissions office since his sophomore year. On campus, Levi is the president of Detox, the men’s Ultimate Frisbee team. Levi and his teammates played at the national championships in Ohio last year, and are hoping to earn a place in the national tournament again this season. Levi is also the treasurer of the Occidental Hillel, and Jewish life on campus has been an important part of his Oxy experience. Around Los Angeles, Levi loves exploring different restaurants and attending professional sporting events (especially when Boston teams are in town).