�ձ�� Stories

From academics to real-world impact, explore stories from our community that highlight the people and experiences making �ձ�� a place of opportunity, discovery, and success.

Viviana MacManus

Viviana MacManus

Faculty Spanish & French Studies

Meet Viviana MacManus of Spanish and French Studies, an �ձ�� alumna who teaches courses on U.S. and transnational feminist movements, women of color, feminist research methods, race and gender in the media, as well as Latin American/Latinx film and literary studies and Latin American human rights.

Stephen Klemm

Faculty Comparative Studies in Literature & Culture

Meet Stephen Klemm of Comparative Studies in Literature & Culture, who teaches courses in German language, literature and culture, always with an eye toward their mutual interaction and co-constitution.

Leah Harmon '20

Leah Harman ’20

Alumni History Spanish Studies

The liberal arts helped Leah discover an unexpected passion, inspiring her to pursue a career in academia. Her first job out of college offers her the perfect introduction to that world.

Michael Kwan

Michael Kwan ’20

Alumni Physics Music

Occidental exposed Michael to the joy of research, helping him along the path to a doctoral program in physics. He hopes to apply his research and technical skills to solve a wide range of problems.

Erin Ay

Alumni Politics

Erin discovered a love for the music industry through �ձ��’s Core Program. She spent the next three years interning in almost every area of the industry, building expertise that helped her land her first job out of college.

Belle Bashaw

Belle Bashaw ’20

Alumni Diplomacy & World Affairs Economics

Encouraged by faculty mentorship and an internship with the U.S. Department of State, Belle decided to pursue a master’s degree in international relations in Germany. �ձ��’s career center helped her at each step of the way.

Will Power

Faculty Theater & Performance Studies

A writer and theater artist working in the area of performance, Will Power is a pioneering creator of hip-hop theater and has been called “the best verse playwright in America” by New York magazine.

Mai Thai

Faculty Sociology

Meet Mai Thai of sociology, who examines topics related to social control, youth and race/ethnicity. Her expertise is in education, the criminal justice system, and race and racial justice.

Benjamin Weiss

Faculty Sociology

Meet Benjamin Weiss of sociology, whose research examines how organizational conditions shape experiences of and responses to gendered deviance and crime.

Professor Robert Sanchez

Faculty Philosophy

Meet Robert Sanchez of philosophy, who specializes in Mexican/Latinx/Latin American philosophy, as well as existentialism. He also has interests in the philosophy of race, the philosophy of food and the history of philosophy.

Katarzyna Marciniak

Katarzyna Marciniak

Faculty Media Arts & Culture

Meet Katarzyna Marciniak of Media Arts & Culture, who focuses on the aesthetics and politics of transnational visual cultures, particularly on representations of foreignness, immigration, national (un)belonging, and the construction of border zones as sites of contention.

Amanda Tasse

Faculty Media Arts & Culture

Meet Amanda Tasse of Media Arts & Culture, who has over 15 years experience working as an animator, designer and director in the film industry and media art world.