Occidental Magazine - Fall 2019

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FALL 2019

Nonprofit U.S. Postage Paid Occidental College

Picking the Class of ’23: Oxy’s Admission Process

Horse Therapy: Bryan McQueeney ’80

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FALL 2019

Thanks to the collective effort by GOLD (Graduates of the Last Decade) to raise the equivalent of a full financial aid package, Cheyanne Domalaon ’21 was named the first GOLD Scholar this fall. A media arts and culture major from Santa Clarita, Cheyanne is “in awe” of her close connections with her professors, and truly appreciative of the generosity of the Oxy community. Every gift makes a difference. Cheyanne, how did you choose your major? I love how there are so many aspects to making a movie or TV show. The amount of people working together to produce a work of art that is shown to millions of people is inspiring and an experience, in my opinion, not found in a lot of jobs. Getting to understand all the jobs in the film industry and experiencing them is another reason why I chose media arts and culture. What has been your favorite class at Oxy so far? Materiality of Religion [taught by Amy Holmes-Tagchungdarpa, associate professor of religious studies]. Professor HolmesTagchungdarpa really engaged with me when I had questions— she was very passionate about what she was teaching but she would never devalue someone else’s opinion. Her passion has inspired me to find something that I am passionate about. What activities do you participate in outside the classroom? Dance Pro and Pulse. I have been dancing since elementary school so it was important for me to find a school that allowed me to dance for fun rather than for competition or as a career. Dancing helps me express myself in ways that I cannot explain. How did you fund your education? Being the oldest of three and the first one to go to a college and not a community college was an eye-opening experience. My first year at Oxy, I had to talk to the financial aid office and show them more tax forms so that I could receive more aid, which I thankfully did. Now all three of us are in college—my sister is in her second

TIGER CONNECTIONS: MEASURING ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT /// CHRISTY LEAVITT ’85 TAKES ON BIG PLASTIC

Meet GOLD Scholar Cheyanne Domalaon ’21

Photo by Marc Campos

year of college, and my brother started college this fall—so I will still be taking out loans as well as working at Oxy. Support from our young alumni community is strong and growing. What does it mean to know that recent graduates helped fund your education as the first GOLD Scholar? I am so thankful to our alumni because they not only helped fund my education at Oxy but also gave me the opportunity to attend Oxy. If it weren’t for alumni support, I probably would not be able to attend Oxy at all.

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GOLD classes, let’s do it again! Please consider giving to Oxy to support more students like Cheyanne. Make an impact For Good.

ChainReaction Michael Angelo Covino ’08 stole the hearts of the Cannes jury with his debut feature. Here’s the story of his 10-year climb to overnight success