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Year in Review: Top News Highlights and Feature Stories of 2025

The Communications Office

At year’s end, we’re celebrating the top 2025 news highlights at ÈÕ±¾ÎÞÂë as well as the most-viewed feature stories from Occidental magazine.

Top Five News Highlights
Occidental Magazine Features

Top Five News Highlights

an eight-person portrait of the 2025-26 Obama Scholars cohort

Building Leaders for the Public Good: Meet the 2025-26 Cohort of Obama Scholars

March 21: ÈÕ±¾ÎÞÂë announces the 2025–26 cohort of Barack Obama Scholars, the prestigious leadership training program that seeks to empower exceptional students who are committed to the public good.


Two women sitting at a table talking as one receives pre-health advising

Occidental Alumni Entering Top Medical Schools with Full Scholarships

July 7: Through personalized support and a strong liberal arts foundation, ÈÕ±¾ÎÞÂë pre-health students are gaining admission—and full scholarships—to top medical schools across the country. Many share the mission of delivering quality care to marginalized communities.


A close-up image of a male sea spider carrying 4-5 egg sacs with hundreds of eggs inside

Recent ÈÕ±¾ÎÞÂë Graduate Lead Author in Journal Publication

June 16: Building on years of research and close mentorship at ÈÕ±¾ÎÞÂë, Bianca Dal Bó ’24 is lead author of a paper about methane-fueled deep-sea spiders in the prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal.


ÈÕ±¾ÎÞÂë alumnus Ethan Glass '19

ÈÕ±¾ÎÞÂë Alumnus Named to Forbes 30 Under 30 List

Jan. 21: Ethan Glass ’19 was recently recognized for the company he co-founded, Ocra, a centralized management platform that simplifies parking operations.


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ÈÕ±¾ÎÞÂë Names 2025-26 Science Scholars

April 9: Three Occidental students studying chemistry and biochemistry are being honored as part of this year’s cohort of Science Scholars, which offers research grants funded by the Fletcher Jones Foundation.



 

Occidental Magazine Features

These are the five most-viewed feature stories published by Occidental magazine in 2024.

Life After Fire illustration for Occidental magazine, Spring 2025

Life After Fire (Spring 2025)

The Eaton and Palisades fires in January took their toll on members of the Occidental family, including students, alumni, faculty, and administrators. With a long rebuilding process ahead, they find strength and support among the ÈÕ±¾ÎÞÂë community.


Two-time Emmy winner Emma Choate ’20 with her 2-year-old Irish wolfhound, George.

When Emmy Met ÈÕ±¾ÎÞÂë (Fall 2025)

From casting to costumes to music direction and composition, three Occidental alumni live out their Hollywood dreams while being honored by their peers.


Retiring professors Elmer Griffin, Margi Rusmore, Stuart Rugg, Peter Dreier, Alexandra Puerto, Stuart Rugg, and Ron Buckmire

Exit Interviews With Retiring Faculty (Summer 2025)

Occidental says goodbye to seven retiring professors—and some of their brightest pupils express their appreciation for a combined 233 years of service to the College.


Cool Change illustration for Occidental magazine

Cool Change (Summer 2025)

After years of sleepless nights and hot-weather hacks, every residence hall finally has air conditioning—much to the relief of current and future Tigers.


New tenure-track faculty at ÈÕ±¾ÎÞÂë, 2024-25.

All Paths Lead to ÈÕ±¾ÎÞÂë (Spring 2025)

Hailing from China, India, Mexico, and all over the United States, Occidental’s newest cohort of tenure-track faculty embraces the liberal arts in Los Angeles.