The Barack Obama Scholars Program Annual Report, 2019-20

2019-20 Annual Report

THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS WHY I GIVE A year apart at Oxy, Janette Sadik-Khan ’82 and Barack Obama ’83 were both inspired by legendary Politics Professor Roger Boesche. “He presented incredibly powerful big ideas in a way that was so engaging,” says Sadik-Khan. Like Obama, she went on to law school and into a career of public service, becoming one of the world’s foremost authorities on transportation and urban transformation.

Sadik-Khan served as New York City’s transportation commissioner from 2007 to 2013 under Mayor Michael Bloomberg, overseeing historic changes to the city’s streets—closing Broadway to cars in Times Square, building nearly 400 miles of bike lanes and creating more than 60 plazas citywide. A founding principal with Bloomberg Associates, she works with mayors around the world to reimagine and redesign their cities.

Today, Sadik-Khan is a generous supporter of the Barack Obama Scholars Program and serves on its advisory council, helping to promote the power of public service to a new generation of students. “Big global challenges need big ideas, and this program is an important investment in tomorrow’s thoughtful and bold leaders,” she says. “It’s really inspiring to see what the Scholars and Fellows are bringing to Occidental and the passion, the heart, the commitment and the energy they bring to leaving the world a better place than they found it.”

“BIG GLOBAL CHALLENGES NEED BIG IDEAS, AND THIS PROGRAM IS AN IMPORTANT INVESTMENT IN TOMORROW’S THOUGHTFUL AND BOLD LEADERS,” — Janette Sadik-Khan ’82

FOUNDING DONORS

Gifts of $1,000 and above

We are grateful to these leaders who have made cumulative gifts of $1,000,000 and above since the inception of the Obama Scholars Program.

Lyssa Axeen and Dr. David Axeen H’07

David H. Anderson ’63 and Linda L. Anderson

Lakshmi K. Dastur ’88 and Willan L. Johnson ’86 P’21

Ann and Bruce Blume P’14

Virginia L. Ellis ’66 and Dr. William D. Ellis ’65

Helen* and Carl Craig P’63* Janice C. Gonzales ’63 and Joe Gonzales* Jane Fortune Hickerson and Glenn Lindsey Hickerson Aileen Isaksen and Leif Isaksen ’62

Sandra Santana and Manuel H. Bernal ’87 Paul J. Burkhart ’86 John C. Collinson ’89

Debra F. Kipp ’76 Nancy A. Schrauf ’77 Rondal D. Tobler ’84 P’17 Anonymous

Gifts up to $1,000 Daniel L. Arkin ’11

We appreciate and recognize the following donors who made generous gifts and/or pledge commitments to the Obama Scholars Program from July 1, 2019, through June 30, 2020.

Amb. Denise C. Bauer ’86 Bonnie A. Beckett, Ph.D. ’71 Dr. Brita A. Bruemmer ’82 and Steve Bruemmer Robin A. Craggs and Garret R. Keith P’21 Amanda L. Douglas ’96 Lara Dye ’89 and Robert Dye

PATHWAY FUND Gifts of $100,000 and above The Halperin Family Dr. Sandra Garfield and John B. Power ’58 H’19 GP’12

THE BOESCHE SOCIETY

Sara H. El-Amine ’07 H’18 Greg Fishwick, Ph.D. ’72 Victoria G. Harding ’87 Charlene Ho ’01 Prof. Maryanne Horowitz and Prof. Ellis Horowitz Uzma Husain and Imad Husain ’83

Gifts of $25,000 and above

Eddie A. Jauregui ’98 and Jason J. Reade ’01

John G. Branca ’72

Craig J. Justman ’90

Susan M. DiMarco and Jeh C. Johnson H’15 P’17

Gail Kemper and Dr. Lawrence B. Kemper ’57

Gifts of $10,000 and above

Sharon S. Jones ’67 and Robert D. Jones ’67

Jonathan A. Lanning, Ph.D. ’99 The Rev. Kathryn C. Ledesma ’82

Liz B. Blackman ’80 and Victor M. Mason ’81

Charles E. Letts III ’73

Nancy J. Gordon ’68 P’01

Linda Rowley Mayeda ’62 and Dr. Samuel O. Mayeda

Steve and Liz Olson

Lori L. McCormack and Michael J. McCormack P’22

Janette I. Sadik-Khan ’82 H’10 and Mark Geistfeld

Megan Mosher

Elsa G. Stewart ’53 and Charles S. Stewart ’53

Carolyn S. Mueller ’91 and John Mueller

Gifts of $5,000 and above

John E. Mueller ’66 Bonnie E. Regan ’96 and Scott Regan

Linda Brandenburger ’60

William P. Saxe ’98

Nina J. Gutin, Ph.D. ’85

Anne Scawthorn

Dr. Greta J. Mandell ’72 and Peter Mandell P’92

Grace M. Sheldon-Williams ’83

Anonymous

Erica C. Shinohara ’02 and Paul M. Harper ’02

Gifts of $2,500 and above

Joe Solmonese Erin D. Swezey and Timothy P. Leary, Ph.D. P’18

Keli P. Carico and Christopher D. Carico ’83

Lisa K. Taniguchi ’86 and Bradon Y. Kimura

Kathie Freeman ’65 M’72 and Prof. Alan Freeman ’66 M’67 P’89 P’91

Lorraine Toly ’68

Rev. Jack D. Hodges ’61 and Diane L. Hodges ’61 P’88

Kimberly M. Uribe

Breck C. Tostevin ’83 Matthew S. Warren ’01 Ina S. Woolman ’67 and David Woolman Whitney Worster ’00 and Brian L. Worster ’97

*Deceased While great care has been taken in preparing this honor roll, occasionally mistakes may occur. Please inform the College of any errors or omissions by contacting the Office of Donor Relations at donorrelations@oxy.edu.

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRS This year has proven very challenging, but one that has also seen the Occidental community rally together in its unwavering devotion to our teaching and learning mission.

Our students started the 2019-20 academic year like any other. We were thrilled to welcome two new Obama Scholars to campus while awarding Obama fellowships to three outstanding returning students. The Scholars and Fellows began their academic pursuits, collaborating closely with advisors and working to build their unique community.

The year soon took a dramatic turn. With the trauma of closing campus due to COVID-19, followed by the death of George Floyd and other senseless deaths of Black Americans which sparked protests and outrage—our students are grieving. We extend our warmest sympathies to all of our students, while maintaining our commitment to providing them with the care, tools and preparation they will need to become engaged, empathetic leaders. We are also humbled to hear from alumni, parents and friends that they, too, remain dedicated to helping our students and supporting the principles of Oxy’s mission as well as the mission of the Obama Scholars Program.

Looking ahead, we are delighted to be working together as co-chairs and to be coalescing a committee of leaders who bring years of experience in orchestrating the Obama grassroots movement and community building to the Obama Scholars Advisory Committee’s efforts. We also take this opportunity to express our gratitude to Susan Di Marco, our previous co-chair, and to President Jonathan Veitch, for their vision and leadership to launch the program. Finally, we welcome President Harry Elam, Jr., who comes to Oxy with a passion for this landmark program.

Thank you again for your support of the Obama Scholars Program, for your commitment to our scholars and fellows, and for your belief in the power of our students to affect collective change in society. We are more than confident that our futures will be brighter because of the determination these young leaders have to better our world.

Thank you for your support of the Obama Scholars Program.

We wish you health and peace.

With gratitude, Hector De La Torre ’89 P’20 and Sara El-Amine ’07 H’18 Co-chairs De La Torre and El-Amine.

THE OBAMA SCHOLARS Alexander Borges ’21: “The Scholars program has been critical in my experience at Oxy. The support from Jennifer Locke and Professor Preston-Roedder has been huge in helping me make the most of my short time here.

The seminars have provided a space to explore some of the hardest questions around purpose, meaning, and racial justice. As I look forward to my senior year, I am excited to be working on my capstone project and preparing for life beyond Occidental, knowing I have a wealth of resources to tap as I navigate this next chapter. Thank you for your continued support of the program in these unprecedented times, and commitment to fostering the public good.”

Sherin Aboobucker ’22, a chemistry major and public health minor, is active in research on Oxy’s campus and within the community. A volunteer ESL conversation facilitator for students in the Middle East, Sherin was awarded a Richter Scholarship to study in Jordan this past summer, although her plans were unfortunately upended due to COVID-19.

Ashley Lam ’22 and Sherin Aboobucker ’22 present “Synthesis of Polymetallocenes for Redox Flow Batteries” as part of the summer 2019 Undergraduate Research Center conference under the mentorship of Michael Hill, professor of chemistry.

Noa Richard ’22 is a comparative studies in literature and culture major. She was awarded a Humanity in Action Fellowship to study the history of human rights.

“The fellowship offers the chance to engage with students from all over the world and challenge ideas around Western hegemony in the international context and learn from mentors in the Humanity in Action Network.”

Jacqueline Alcantara ’23 came to Oxy from Houston, Texas.

While her first year at Oxy was abruptly interrupted by the pandemic, she looks forward to further exploring her interests in urban and environmental policy and public health.

THE OBAMA SCHOLARS FELLOWSHIP Each year, rising seniors at Occidental College are chosen as Obama Fellows, based on their achievements at Oxy both inside and outside the classroom, faculty recommendations and their commitment to supporting the mission of the Obama Scholars Program—to contribute to the public good. As director of national and international fellowships, Jennifer Locke plays a key role in advising the fellows on how their coursework and independent work can set them on their desired path after Oxy. Because of your support, Obama Fellows receive a generous grant to support them in their postgraduate efforts.

Kayla Williams ’20 has recently moved to Dallas to teach high school students.

“One of my favorite parts of being an Obama Fellow is the way it allowed me to mentor younger students at Oxy. I really appreciated hearing their perspectives and being able to experience that excitement that comes from just starting college. They pushed me to think critically about things that I had accepted as normal or OK. “As for post-Oxy plans, COVID really shook everything up. I was grateful to have both Ms. Locke and Professor Preston-Roedder as supporters and soundboards for my ideas. They made sure I didn’t feel alone in this process.

“The Obama Scholars Program allowed me to connect with different students and to create spaces where we could think and collaborate together—for that I am thankful.”

We are excited to announce Ima Odong ’21 as our newest Obama Fellow.

Ima is an outstanding student and leader in the Oxy community. She is pursuing an independent pattern of study in critical liberation studies and praxis for her major. She is a prolific writer and art educator on and off campus, a research assistant with Politics Professor Regina Freer, and an Orientation leader.

Ima recently studied post-genocide restoration and peacebuilding in Rwanda and hopes to “use the funding from the Obama Fellowship to return and study the intersection of performing arts and grassroots movement-building.”

BUILDING COMMUNITY WITH THE OBAMA SCHOLARS PROGRAM SEMINAR A key component of the Obama Scholars Program, the weekly seminar led by faculty mentor and Assistant Professor of Philosophy Ryan Preston-Roedder, brings together Obama Scholars and Fellows for a small reading and discussion group to help them develop their own conception of the public good. For this fall semester of remote teaching and learning, Professor Preston-Roedder is eager to bring Obama Scholars Advisory Council members to the group virtually via video conference, to provide guidance and insight into their successful career paths in areas such as public service, business and education.

THE OBAMA SCHOLARS PROGRAM SPEAKER SERIES On February 27, 2020, Oxy hosted the third event in the Obama Scholars Program Speaker Series: “Repealing ’Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell: Lessons Learned and Where We Are Today.” The impressive panel was led by Obama Scholars Advisory Council member Joe Solmonese, CEO of the 2020 Democratic National Convention Committee and former president of the Human Rights Campaign, which played a key role in lobbying for the repeal. Students, faculty and staff heard from this pioneering group of veterans and advocates for LGBTQ+ rights who worked tirelessly to successfully overturn “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” legislation in 2010.

OUR SUPPORTIVE ADVISERS CO-CHAIRS

Jane Hickerson Community Leader

Hector De La Torre ’89 P’20 Public Policy Leader

Bob Johnson ’77 Entertainment Attorney

Sara El-Amine ’07 Political Strategist

Chris Johnson ’83 Business Executive

MEMBERS David H. Anderson ’63 Environmental Attorney Amb. Denise Campbell Bauer ’86 Former Ambassador Ann Blume P’14 Community Leader Bruce Blume P’14 Community Leader John Branca ’72 Entertainment Attorney Bill Davis ’80 Former Public Radio Executive Laurent Delanney ’82 Global Sports Marketing Executive Dr. Susan DiMarco P’17 Civic Leader Fred DuVal ’76 Policy Consultant Mark Fabiani P’21 Political Strategist Alan G. Freeman ’66 M’67 P’89 P’91 Theater Director and Writer

Jeh Johnson H’15 P’17 Former Secretary of Homeland Security Rob McKay ’86 H’03 President, McKay Family Foundation Ian McKinnon ’89 Investment Manager Dr. Ted Mitchell H’07 President, American Council on Education Steve Olson Attorney David Plouffe Campaign and Policy Advisor Prof. Ryan Preston-Roedder Faculty Mentor Ben Rhodes Writer and Political Commentator Janette Sadik-Khan ’82 H’10 Urban Transportation Planner John Brooks Slaughter H’99 Professor of Engineering and Education Roger Guenveur Smith’77 H’11 Actor, Director and Writer Joe Solmonese Corporate Consultant

Wahid Hamid ’82 H’11 International Investor

Maya Soetoro-Ng H’18 Matsunaga Insitute for Peace, University of Hawaii

Octavio Herrera ’98 Software Entrepreneur

Amb. Vinai Kumar Thummalapally Former Ambassador

Glenn Hickerson Marketing and Management Consultant

Jonathan Veitch Occidental President Emeritus

“I’m honored to be part of the Oxy community and am energized by the Obama Scholars Program. I truly believe that this program amplifies what makes the Oxy student experience special –a deep commitment to critical thinking, social equity, public service and global citizenship. We are building a community of Obama Scholars and Fellows who will make a meaningful impact on the world and I thank you for your support of this important mission.”

—President Harry J. Elam, Jr.

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