The Magic of Oxy

What a great article on Tammy Bird ’84 and her incredible dedication on behalf of her South L.A.-area high school students (“Catalyzing the Public Good,” Fall 2025). I can’t tell you how grateful I am to you in telling her story in the magazine. As I’m sure you are aware, it was the 1992 Rodney King incident and resulting neighborhood riots that brought Mike Hoover ’65 into the story.

As anyone looking for a parking space on lower campus while the cameras are rolling could tell you, it’s been a busy year for film production at Occidental in the greatest burst of activity since the mid-’90s heyday of Beverly Hills, 90210.

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.

In my daily interactions with students at Occidental—whether in class, at an event on campus, or walking across the Quad—I am continually reminded of the value of a liberal arts education. Despite the ongoing challenges facing higher education, an urban liberal arts college such as ours is a powerful model. It equips students with the skills, perspective, and adaptability needed to lead lives of purpose and make a meaningful impact in the world.

This summer, 10 Occidental students will get an exclusive opportunity to work behind the scenes of the Hollywood Bowl, Walt Disney Concert Hall, or The Ford—taking on meaningful projects, receiving mentorship from industry professionals, and immersing themselves in the creativity and excellence of the LA Phil.

When Chino High School class valedictorian Dale Morter ’56 visited Occidental for the first time, he had all but chosen Pomona. But a teacher at Chino—an Occidental graduate—urged him to take a look at Oxy. He got a campus tour from Dean of Men Ben Culley, who offered him a scholarship that same day.

“If I went to Pomona, I would have lived at home,” Morter recalls. Instead, he chose Oxy, where he majored in psychology, joined ATO fraternity, and eventually became a “dorm daddy” (’50s speak for resident assistant). “It worked out really well,” he says.

Growing up in Highland Park, “Occidental has always been part of my life,” Celestina Castillo says. Her mother participated in the College’s Upward Bound program in the 1970s, and in her five years (2003-08) of working at the nonprofit Los Angeles County Children’s Planning Council, Castillo collaborated with Occidental’s Center for Community-Based Learning (CCBL) on educational organizing efforts in Northeast Los Angeles.

As a student filmmaker at Occidental, Thom Harp ’92’s storytelling choices gravitated toward affairs of the heart—even if his approach to the subject matter feels a little jaded in hindsight. His senior comps film, Be My Girl, was about a man who is in love with a blow-up doll and the marital troubles that ensued. An earlier short, The Proof Is in the Pudding, depicted a 1950s housewife who poisons her husband with the titular dessert. “I was not in a good place with relationships,” he admits with a laugh.