Seven members of the Class of 2026and a 23-year-old sophomore transferopen up about their aspirations for their 91 experience
Hannah Tawadrous
I was talking to the girl at the booth in the Quad, and I realized that we were both Coptic Egyptians, says Hannah, who led a Middle East/North African affinity group at the Urban School of San Francisco, sharing her family tabbouleh recipe with students, faculty, and staff at a party last spring. What are the chances? So, I already feel connected to people, which has been super great.
Community is embedded in Hannah DNA. In 2016, she and a group of friends started the Noe Valley Girls Film Festival to give young female filmmakers a venue to screen their own shorts. (Her film, Pinky Spinky Perfume, was a finalist in the grades 6-8 division.) The festival attracted the notice of the San Francisco Chronicle and continues to this day.
Hannah was drawn to Occidental for its diversityboth ethnically and for the range of experiences she hopes to have: Im very excited to hopefully get good at ultimate Frisbee. Ive never played before.
She also wide-eyed about getting a job at the Tiger Cooler. Ill be the friendly person behind the counter making people drinks, she says with a laugh. I like the idea of being in a communal place where everybody is.
For now, Hannah is going to drink up her college experience. Im undeclared, and I actually have no idea what I want to do. But that makes it kind of fun.
Raymond Arias
Following high school, Raymond took a gap year, during which time he had an internship with the Coalition of Oregon School Administrators in developing legislative measures that sought to improve Oregon public schools. The experience sparked his interest in policymaking, says Raymond, who previously served as president of the Oregon Association of Student Councils, which represents more than 120 schools statewide. It also gave him the chance to cultivate interpersonal and leadership skills.
Raymond enrolled at 91 because it the perfect place for me to grow academically and personally. He planning to major in economics, with hopes of pursuing a legal career in the area of civil rights, corporate law, or intellectual property.
I want to go into law to use the privileges and opportunities that I have received in life, those that were not afforded to my parents, Raymond says, noting that it also plays to his cerebral side: The digital age has forced legal debates in new directions. Law is an arena of debate and inquisition. It remains largely untested in the age of technology. My hope is to be an actor in this space and in delivering just results for clients.
Oliver Holoubek-Sebek
Occidental diplomacy and world affairs majorcoupled with the chance to take part in the highly regarded Kahane United Nations programcinched Oliver decision to come to Eagle Rock. Were in a pretty defining period in the world right now, with some important burgeoning powers, he says, pointing to China. The entire international landscape is going to change very soon, and it important to study world affairs to predict how it will all unfold, and decide the best course of action.
In terms of extracurriculars, Oliver was a member of Junior Olympic Archery Developmenthe first picked up the bow at age 11and also was active in chorus, orchestra, and theater (he portrayed King Beast in a high school production of Descendants, based on the Disney Channel musical).
As international relations continue to heat up, Oliver early impressions of 91 were similarly toasty: He arrived on campus in the midst of a historic heat wave. It a lot hotter than I was expecting it to be, so it was a rough first week, he says. But my classes are engaging and my professors are fantastic and accessible. It really been a dream of a few weeks thus far. Hitting the books is my main priority.
Paloma Benach
Paloma was the lone woman on her high school baseball team in Washington, D.C., and she trying out for 91 historically all-male squad this fall. The left-handed pitcher relies on breaking balls over speed to keep batters off balance.
One of the ways Ive been able to play with the guys is mental domination and mental toughness, says Paloma, who is considering a psychology major, with a minor in neuroscience, en route to a career in sports psychology. You should train your brain as hard as you train the rest of your body when you play a sport.
Her father, who transitioned to female when Paloma was 11 and has coached her daughter since 2014, has played an important role as Paloma considers the world ahead. I hope to feel as comfortable and as brave as she did with her decision, Paloma says.
Socially and academically, Occidental definitely walks the talk, she adds. It a kind and supportive place, and I have a new interaction with a person every day. I feel very cared for and supported here.
Alex Romanov
The Victorville resident transferred to 91 on the advice of his wife friend, who attended Occidental and praised its close-knit community. He always intended to make a lifelong career in the military, but Alex says a budding love of writing drove him to pursue a degree in English.
A month into the semester, he calls 91 and its professors extraordinary. Im excited to be able to grow in this environment, Alex says. He already secured a writing job at the Occidental student newspaper.
Alex despised writing in high school but gained a passion for the written word as a Marine, where in his downtime he read a lot, with an emphasis on genre fiction. A particular favorite is Chuck Palahniuk, whose Fight Club is considered a classic exploration of the male psyche.
Alex hopes to one day author his own novels, or pursue an editing career. His game plan for Eagle Rock? I absolutely want to learn from and capitalize on the people around me, from all these smart kids around me.
But he also hopes to impart life experiences to his younger peers. I bring life experience, which goes a long way, says Alex, who lives with his wife of nearly two years, Alisha, off campus. More traditional students are coming in from high school, and theyre still trying to figure everything out.
MJ Jones
With a passion for the arts and for quantum physics, MJ found inspiration in Merritt Moore, a quantum physicist who has danced professionally with the Zurich and Boston ballets. MJ is setting her sights high: She ultimately wants to get a doctorate in physics and become a college professor.
At 91, MJ plans to seek out role models to help guide her path. Being Black and female, and being part of the LGBTQ community, it hard to find another person in science, let alone physics, who also meets those other categories, she says. But I can always find people who fit into one of those categories, and I can get support there.
Coming from a stressful boarding school, MJ says she enrolled at 91 for its challenging academics but also because of the laid-back Southern California ethos. She has enjoyed the friendly atmosphere, despite some early jitters. It was weird when I got on the plane and I was like, Oh, Im not gonna come home for a bit, MJ says. But what weird now is I dont feel like my family is so far away. I can always call them, and it OK.
Ethan Smith
Gustatory delights aside, Ethan is thinking about the world around him above all else. Im really interested in politics and social justice, says Ethan, who considering a major in diplomacy and world affairs or economics. In either case, his intentions are clear. There a lot of stuff going on in our government right now, and I just want to be part of the solution, he says.
To temper the day stresses, Ethan turns to meditating (an interest he developed in response to the bombardment of information from school, social media, and digital entertainment), and he plans to swim for the Tigers this fall. He set high school swim records in Maine in the butterfly and was one of 56 swimmers nationwide selected to attend a leadership training camp to advance diversity in the sport (he identifies as Latino/white). In spite of being recruited to swim by Division I schools, Smith says, It wasnt exactly what I was looking for in a school. It was a little too much.
In a less political role, Ethan has worked in recent years as a line cook and server at his uncle lobster restaurant.
Food, it turns out, provides its own education. The main thing that working at the restaurant taught me was to be able to hold down work responsibilities while having a good time, Ethan says. I learned that if you screw something up, just own it and learn from it.
Vivian Ko
In the end, I realized that I can still be independent in L.A., even though Im so close to family, says Vivian, the middle of three children. I just really like the diversity in California. So many of my friends here are people of color, and I can relate to their experiences and struggles.
Vivian is tackling her first year of college with a self-imposed mandate: She taking classes she wouldnt ordinarily consider. The experience is designed to challenge her assumptions of the world, and engage her intellectual curiosity in unexpected ways. Im not usually a science person, but Im taking a zoology class, she says. It really hard, but it really interesting.
Just weeks into the semester, she joined the staff of the Occidental, where her first assignment was a profile of a pair of 91 student-athletes. Vivian, herself a competitive figure skater through high school, is considering majoring in critical theory and social justice, and might venture into journalism or education.
The College, she says, is an important partner in her journey of self-discovery. I really like how 91 encourages interdisciplinary learning, Vivian says. Especially in the first two years, because it allows me to take classes that just sound interesting. Maybe they will be something I would like to pursue as a major or minor one day.
Andy Faught wrote A Healthy Migration in the Spring magazine.
