Occidental Celebrates Community at Homecoming & Family Weekend

In early October, more than 1,000 Occidental College alumni, family members, and students joined together on campus to celebrate the Oxy experience for Homecoming & Family Weekend.

The packed weekend of events and activities started off with a self-guided tour of campus exploring former President Barack Obama '83's time at Occidental and continued with a guided campus tour led by the Office of Admission.

Attendees stopped by the student-run shop Touchdown Thrift, the Writing Center, and the Critical Making Studio. They took a tour of Keck Theater and of the Choi Family Music Production Center, Oxy's state-of-the-art recording and production facilities. They visited a Makers Market on the Academic Quad where talented student creators sold student-made gifts and keepsakes. They rooted for Tiger athletes in men's and women's soccer, men's water polo, and women's volleyball matches on campus.

A Faculty Lab Crawl-a guided tour through four science departments-introduced attendees to professors, student research, and demonstrations in chemistry with Assistant Professor Vikram Shende, kinesiology with Chair and Professor Vanessa Yingling, biology through Oxy's Biology Imaging and Computation Center (BICC) with Chair and Professor Shana Goffredi, and computer science with Assistant Professor Hector Camarillo Abad. A Biology Open House was held at the Bioscience Building and the Anderson Center for Environmental Sciences.

"I've been connecting with a lot of alumni, parents, and families, which is great," said biology major Lani Young '28, who explained her research, with Assistant Professor Alyssa Rodriguez, into DNA repair proteins. "It's so meaningful to talk to parents who have never seen a college and to show them my research and what their student can do at Oxy," added Carolina Ramirez '28, who also researches DNA repair proteins. A first-generation college student, Ramirez noted that her mother's first visit to a college was when she visited Oxy.

Miles Webb '30-a student in Occidental's 3-2 Engineering Program that results in two bachelor's degrees in five years: one from Oxy and the other from Columbia University or the California Institute of Technology-joined his mother Nancy Wine P '30, who had flown in from Kentucky. They participated in a lab activity with bacterial strains, led by Shende. "It's exciting to see your child adulting, learning, and loving life," said Wine. Added Webb, "What I like about Oxy is its location, and all the music and art here."

It's exciting to see your child adulting, learning, and loving life.

-Nancy Wine P'30

During the weekend, visitors learned about Oxy's 25-year-old Center for Community Based Learning (CCBL); the Barack Obama Scholars Program; Oxy Arts; the Undergraduate Research Center; the InternLA Summer internship program; and the Justice Summer Internship Program. Oxy Hillel hosted a Shabbat and Sukkot dinner under a sukkah on campus. During a casual breakfast hosted by the Occidental College Parent and Family Council, Oxy's new Dean of the College Angie Bos connected with Tiger families.

Student for a Day sessions-with members of Oxy's incredible faculty-featured presentations by Diplomacy and World Affairs Professor Anthony Chase; Media Arts and Culture Assistant Professor Vivian Lin; Economics Assistant Professor Alaa Abdelfattah; Fletcher Jones Foundation Professor of Chemistry Professor Michael Hill P'28; and Assistant Professor of PsychologyZachary Silver, director of the Occidental Canine Intelligence Lab. Bandit, a staff member's dog featured on video during Silver's session, made a surprise tail-wagging live appearance at the end.

"In terms of preparing leaders to lead in the world that we're in today, and with a student body that is representative of the communities that we live and work in, that work is more important than ever," said Board of Trustees Chair Art Peck '77 P'10 P'14 in a dialogue with trustees Magdalena Arenas '92 P'19 and Tuan Ngo '07, moderated by Trisha Bhima, president of the Associated Students of Occidental College (ASOC) student government.

After showing a video highlighting InternLA students, Occidental President Tom Stritikus led arobust conversation in Johnson Hall's Choi Auditorium. "Our goal, ambitious as it is, is that every student 100% receives a funded experience that's at the caliber of what you saw here," he said.

Music and community pride filled Homecoming & Family Weekend.

At the Bird Studio in Booth Music Hall, music students showcased vocal, instrumental, chamber music, and jazz ensemble tunes. The Homecoming Opening Night Celebration included live jazz performed by ensembles featuring Oxy alumni and faculty. Oswald's Homecoming Harvest Festival featured Halloween-themed bounce houses, music from KOXY, and live performances by student bands. The Glee Club performed for a powerful concert honoring its 120th anniversary, with Oxy's alumni choir, the Eagle Rock Chorale.

In a lively conversation moderated by Director of the John Branca Institute for Music and Music Department Chair David Kasunic, alumni panelists reflected on 100 years of music at Oxy. The Occidental Children's Theater celebrated 31 years with a performance of Chicken Little Shop of Horrors.

Exciting Homecoming guests included musician, writer, and director Boots Riley, who delved-with nuance and humor-into his multi-hyphenate career in a conversation with Media Arts and Culture Associate Professor Aleem Hossain, followed by a screening of Riley's 2026 film I Love Boosters.

Community members, alumni, students, and parents chatted and shared stories during an affinity group celebration of alumni organizations on the Quad. The Black Alumni Organization (BAO) celebrated at its annual signature event Better Together.

At the end of the weekend, Occidental Athletics leaders and legends came together at the Tiger Athletics and Hall of Fame reception, honoring the newest class of alumni inductees: Doug McAdam '73, Tom Colley '78, Michele Trimble de Boucaud '89, Anna Celaya '99, Steven Van Deventer '15, and Lynn Mehl.