First-generation college student and Obama Scholar Derek Jimenez ’27 is reshaping the intersection of community, culture, and affordable housing
Derek Jimenez ’27 can sum up his Occidental experience in one word: “unbelievable.”
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’s in architecture, he plans to spend his career reimagining affordable living, designing homes where families can feel pride.
A milestone in Derek’s journey was a summer research experience on Chicane muralism and its impact on built environments. Traveling with his mom to Mexico City, he was able to study the roots of the movement and “really grasp what it means for Mexican muralism to live in the built environment.”
Closer to Oxy, he also spent time at the Estrada Courts affordable housing complex in Boyle Heights, which was constructed in World War II and is famous for its more than 85 murals, many of them painted by Chicane artists in the 1970s.
“Those murals reimagined the space,” he says. “Estrada Courts created a sense of culture and collective pride that could be seen throughout L.A. and it forced people to look at affordable housing in a new light.”
In the spring of his sophomore year, Derek was named one of eight Obama Scholars, Oxy’s signature leadership training program. “I’ve always known that I wanted to work in the public good, and my experience at Oxy and with the Obama Scholars Program has changed my trajectory. Now I know that I’m more than capable of doing whatever I imagine.”
His immersion in the Oxy community extends well beyond that. Derek has been a barista at the Green Bean, a resident assistant in Berkus Hall, and a hurdler for the Tigers. “Being a student athlete has been one of the highlights of my college experience,” he adds, “Occidental track and field has given me a family and friends that I will never forget.”
