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�� Stories

The best way to learn about the �� experience is to hear from the people that make up our exceptional community.

�� students, faculty and alumni are smart and engaged, and they care deeply about their work and the world around them. Get to know more about our faculty and their impactful research, find out what drives our students, and see how our graduates are making an impact in the world. Meet some of the people that help make �� what it is.

Abigail Lee '24

Student Biology Music

An avid cellist and pre-med student, Abigail Lee was drawn to study both disciplines at Occidental, recognizing a critical link between preparing for musical performances and conducting scientific research.

Elizabeth Wiener

Elizabeth Wiener

Faculty Politics

Meet Elizabeth Wiener of Politics, whose research interests include U.S. legislative institutions; representation of marginalized groups; interest groups, political organizations, and lobbying; public policy design, processes, and analysis; and U.S. state politics.

Yumi Pak

Faculty Black Studies

Meet Yumi Pak of Black Studies, whose research and teaching specializations include Black literary and cultural studies; critical ethnic studies; Black feminist theory; queer theory and queer of color critique; performance studies; U.S. multi-ethnic literatures; American literature; and American studies.

Michael W. Murphy

Michael W. Murphy

Faculty Black Studies

Meet Michael W. Murphy of Black Studies, whose research and teaching emphasize anticolonial and environmental approaches to sociological thought.

Janna Ireland

Faculty Art & Art History

Meet Janna Ireland of Art & Art History, who has had solo exhibitions in Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, New Orleans, and other cities. Her photos have been featured in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, and many other publications.

Stephen S. Hudson

Stephen S. Hudson

Meet Stephen S. Hudson of Music, a music theorist and baroque cellist who is also an emerging expert on metal music, focusing on fans and musicians’ embodied experiences of rhythm, timbre, and song form.

Isaac Hale

Isaac Hale ’11

Faculty Politics

Meet Isaac Hale ’11 of Politics, whose research agenda centers on how citizens hold elected officials electorally accountable.

Jose Guadalupe Sanchez III

Jose Guadalupe Sanchez III

Faculty Art & Art History

Meet Jose Guadalupe Sanchez III of Art & Art History, an interdisciplinary artist with an emphasis in painting, whose work investigates the interactions between different value systems found throughout Los Angeles, with a focus on intelligence, legitimacy, and authority.

Nicholas Alt

Nicholas P. Alt

Faculty Psychology

Meet Nicholas P. Alt of Psychology, whose academic research spans the areas of social psychology, cognitive psychology, and vision science.

Angel Navarro

Angel Navarro ’87

Alumni Economics Politics History

A newly appointed judge in the Los Angeles County Superior Court, Angel’s time at Occidental afforded him experiences that proved valuable throughout his career. He describes those who were the most influential during crucial years of his life and offers some advice to current �� students.

Lisa Cronican

Student Politics

After building a career in information technology on the East Coast, veteran Lisa Cronican ’22 returned to Los Angeles to fulfill a lifelong goal: completing her �� bachelor’s degree after a 25-year hiatus.

Mikayla Woods '25

Student Black Studies American Studies English

At ��, Mikayla Woods is focused on Blackness through an interdisciplinary lens as she pursues her goal of eventually earning a Ph.D. in Black Studies. She is finding inspiration and support from her faculty mentors every step of the way.