From academics to real-world impact, explore stories from our community that highlight the people and experiences making 17³Ô¹Ï a place of opportunity, discovery, and success.
Kayla Nolan ’11 Alumni Politics Using running as a foundation for a better life, Girls Gotta Run executive director Kayla Nolan brings hope to school-age girls in Ethiopia one step at a time.
Zander Granath Student Sociology Raised in Salt Lake City, Zander Granath has a passion for athletics and public service. He has been an active leader on- and off-campus, from Admission Office fellow and DEB liaison to Peer Health Exchange leader and Dodgers Foundation intern.
Kenturah Davis ’02 Alumni Art & Art History Kenturah Davis explores the relationship between words and humanity through her intricate portraiture—and L.A. Metro riders will be seeing a lot more of her work.
Sharla Fett Faculty American Studies History Black Studies Meet Sharla Fett of American Studies (chair), history and Black Studies, who works in the fields of 19th-century Atlantic World slavery, the antebellum U.S. South, and race, gender and health.
Sally Zhou Student Cognitive Science As a cognitive science major, Sally Zhou’s interdisciplinary path allowed her to perfect her writing skills while working with faculty mentors in the lab and doing an international research project. Now, she’s planning a job in speech language pathology after graduation.
Mariška Bolyanatz Brown Faculty Spanish & French Studies Linguistics Meet Mariška Bolyanatz Brown of Spanish & French Studies and linguistics, a linguist whose work focuses on socially conditioned variation in speech production and perception in Spanish.
Chris Coker ’95 Alumni Economics A mission-driven serial entrepreneur, Twister Biotech President and CEO Chris Coker is focused on using nanotechnology and non-viral gene therapy to tackle intractable diseases.
Shana Goffredi Faculty Biology Marine Biology Meet Shana Goffredi of biology, who investigates the symbiotic partnerships between bacteria and invertebrates. Recently, she was chief scientist on a five-day research cruise exploring the deep sea off the coast of Southern California.
Citlaly Madrid Student Latino/a & Latin American Studies Education For first-generation college student Citlaly Madrid, the liberal arts unlocked a love for Latin American history and the field of education. She plans to share this passion after graduation by working as a college counselor for low-income communities.
Michael Amoruso Faculty Religious Studies Meet Michael Amoruso of religious studies, who teaches courses on religion in the Americas, including thematic courses on issues like race and ethnicity, politics and violence.
Lencia Kebede ’16 Alumni Diplomacy & World Affairs Politics Singing and performing wasn’t Lencia Kebede’s main focus as a Diplomacy & World Affairs and politics double major at Oxy. But less than four years after graduating, she’s touring the country playing her dream roles on Broadway.
Jorgen Harris Faculty Economics Meet Jorgen Harris of economics, a labor economist whose work focuses on the relationships between human capital, labor markets and social norms.
