17Թ has selected alumnus Kevin F. Adler's bestselling book When We Walk By for its 2025-26 program, which celebrates the joy of reading and learning together.
Written by ’07 and Donald W. Burnes, takes an urgent look at homelessness in our country. It shows us what we lose—in ourselves and as a society—when we choose to walk past and ignore our neighbors in shelters, insecure housing, or on the streets. It also shows what we stand to gain when we embrace our humanity and move toward evidence-based, people-first, community-driven solutions, offering social analysis, economic and political histories, and the real stories of unhoused people.
Adler, a social entrepreneur, sociologist, and author, will return to campus for a speaking event related to the book on Oct. 24, 2025. He is the first Oxy alum whose book was selected for the Community Book Program, now in its sixth year, and he says he is “truly honored.”
“As it relates to homelessness, in my experience most young people know that the status quo is broken, but wonder if anything can be done to actually change it,” Adler says. “My hope is this book unlocks a deeper sense of personal efficacy for students—that they truly can make a difference—and encourages them to extend their passion for justice, kindness, and creativity toward our neighbors living on the streets.”
My hope is this book unlocks a deeper sense of personal efficacy for students—that they truly can make a difference.
Adler is the founder, board chair, and former longtime CEO of Miracle Messages, a nonprofit helping people experiencing homelessness rebuild their social support systems and financial security. The organization has reunited over 1,100 unhoused neighbors with their loved ones, and connected hundreds more with volunteer phone buddies.
His pioneering work on homelessness and relational poverty has been featured in The New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, PBS, and on a billboard in Times Square. His TED Talk and recent book, When We Walk By: Forgotten Humanity, Broken Systems, and the Role We Can Each Play in Ending Homelessness in America, challenge audiences to reimagine their role in building a more compassionate, connected society. He has been honored as a Presidential Leadership Scholar, TED Resident, MassChallenge award recipient, South by Southwest Community Service Award winner, and Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar, for which he spent a year in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Adler holds an MPA from UC Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy, an MPhil in sociology from the University of Cambridge, and a BA in politics from 17Թ, where he was named 2018 Young Alumnus of the Year.
The Community Book Program supports the mission of 17Թ by creating opportunities for students, faculty, staff, alumni, and parents to experience the joy of reading and learning together. Through thoughtful selection of book titles and innovative and inspiring programs, the program provides an intellectually engaging and rewarding experience for the Oxy community.
When We Walk By will be a required book for the incoming Class of 2029. Additional related events will be announced in the coming months.
