About Our Staff
Senior Team
Kawena Jacobs
Editor in ChiefKawena Jacobs (junior) is a Music Production major and Politics minor from Pennsylvania. She is The Occidental’s editor-in-chief. If you wish you could hear her voice more than just in the newsroom, you can find your new favorite song in her discography or ask her about the Disney Channel Original Movie “Cloud 9.”
Ava LaLonde
Managing EditorAva LaLonde (junior) is a Comparative Studies in Literature and Culture major with minors in Spanish and Critical Theory and Social Justice. She is from San Dimas, California and is excited to jump back into the newsroom this semester. She enjoys watching movies a bit too much and playing with her dog.
James Miller
Senior EditorJames Miller (junior) is an English major and Biology minor from Palo Alto, California who served as the Fall 2024 editor-in-chief of The Occidental. Miller has a twin brother, John, and enjoys long walks on the beach with Beau, his family’s German Shepard. He aspires to spend a night in every California county.
Barbara Thomas
AdvisorBarbara Thomas has been The Occidental staff advisor since September 2016. A career journalist, she spent 24 years at the Los Angeles Times where she held many roles, including reporter, copy editor and Executive News Editor. Previously she was a reporter in Gary, Ind. She was part of two Pulitzer Prize teams for Spot News reporting at the LA Times. Thomas has an M.A. in journalism from Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind., and B.A. in English from University of Pittsburgh.
Section Editors
Anna Beatty
Arts & Culture EditorAnna Beatty (junior) is a double major in Comparative Studies in Literature and Culture and Chinese Studies with a minor in Linguistics from Austin, Texas. She is an Arts & Culture editor for The Occidental. Beatty finds solace in ice cream indulgence and fluffy white dogs.
Eli Heringman
Arts & Culture EditorEli Heringman (sophomore) is pursuing a double major in Media Arts & Culture (MAC) and Japanese Studies while editing the Arts & Culture section of The Occidental. Heringman hails from Columbia, Missouri and spends as much time as he can exploring the city of Los Angeles.
Jacob Whitney
Campus News EditorJacob Whitney (senior) is a DWA major from Seattle, Washington. Whitney is a news editor at The Occidental, and he spends much of his free time resting and recovering from senior comps work.
Theodore Wilton
Campus News EditorTheodore Wilton (sophomore) is a Mathematics major and Economics minor from Burlington, Vermont. Wilton is a news editor at The Occidental, and he spends his free time playing the double bass in various classical and jazz groups.
Francine Ghazarian
Community News EditorFrancine Ghazarian (sophomore) is a History and Math double major from Glendale, California. This is her fourth semester working for the Occidental, and she’s excited to be a new editor! In her free time, she loves channeling her inner grandma by crocheting and reading while sipping on hot tea. She also loves playing the cello and is a part of the Occidental orchestra. She spends her Friday evenings playing tennis and frolicking across campus with friends.
Ruby Gower
Community News EditorRuby Gower (junior) is a DWA and Chinese Studies double major from London, UK. She has a pet fish in her dorm and wants to know if you can take care of it for the summer. Please. She doesn’t know what she’s going to do with it.
Mollie Barnes
Features EditorMollie Barnes (senior) is a Critical Theory and Social Justice major and Cognitive Science minor from Denver, Colorado. Barnes is the features editor at The Occidental, and she spends much of her time eating Jeni’s ice cream and deleting Oxford commas from articles.
Amy Wong
Media EditorAmy Wong (junior) is a Philosophy major and Cognitive Science minor from Pasadena, California. Wong is a media editor for The Occidental who loves going on drives around the city and photographing her neighborhood.
Avinash Iyer
Opinions EditorAvinash Iyer (senior) is a Mathematics major and Economics minor from Fremont, California who edits opinions for The Occidental. Iyer is an A-tier procrastinator on PDEs homework, with favored substitutes of lifting, climbing, volleyball and playing the piano.
Jameela Bowo
Opinions EditorJameela Bowo (sophomore) is a Psychology major from San Francisco, California. She is a Opinions Editor for The Occidental. Outside of the newsroom, she enjoys going to the beach, spending hours singing karaoke and watching chick flicks from the early 2000s.
Jane Hutton
Photo EditorJane Hutton is a junior from Boise, Idaho studying Diplomacy and World Affairs. She is a media editor for The Occidental
Nora Youngleson
Sports EditorNora Youngelson (junior) is a Comparative Studies in Literature & Culture major and French Studies minor from Brooklyn, New York. When she is not editing articles, Nora can be found tossing a frisbee, running and listening to music (maybe all three at the same time!).
Other Staff
Emma Cho
Senior WriterEmma Cho (senior), is a History major and Interdisciplinary Writing minor from Downers Grove, Illinois. After a summer interning in Little Tokyo and spending the fall working on her senior comprehensive project on the history of baseball in the Philippines, Emma is excited to write stories for every section (woohoo!). In her free time, you can find her on the lacrosse field or in the Mary Norton Clapp library until close.
Noah Kim
Senior WriterNoah Kim (sophomore) is a Politics and Philosophy double major from Chappaqua, New York. His favorite song is “Chove Chuva” by Jorge Ben Jor.
Caden Zamastil
Head Copy EditorCaden Zamastil (junior) is a history major. Zamastil is the Head Copy Editor for The Occidental. When not in the newsroom, Zamastil enjoys playing bass and guitar, reading, bouldering, watching Ghibli movies and playing Stardew Valley.
Diego Santiago
Translation EditorDiego Santiago (senior) is pursuing a dual major in computer science and Spanish Studies. Santiago is thrilled to serve as Translation Editor for The Occidental. When he’s not busy with editorial duties, you can find him reading science fiction, playing pool or playing soccer.
Ayva Sloo
Business ManagerAyva Sloo (junior) is a geology major with an Environmental Science concentration at Occidental College. Sloo is the business manager for The Occidental. Besides keeping the team on budget, Sloo enjoys camping, hiking and reading, and is always ready for a friendly (but competitive) game of pickleball.
Maeve Mascarenhas
Web TeamMaeve Mascarenhas (junior) is a Sociology major with a Politics minor. She is senior web designer for The Occidental. In her free time, she enjoys reading, cooking, and running.
Janice Wong
Web TeamJanice Wong (junior) is a computer science major from Arcadia, California. She is the head layout editor and junior web designer for The Occidental. In her free time, Wong enjoys playing video games and hanging out with friends.
Writers
Newsletter Editor
Photographers
Copy Editors
Illustrators
Layout Editors
Podcast Team
Translators
The mission of The Occidental is to provide fair, accurate and balanced journalism of the highest quality to members of Occidental College as well as the local community. We promote the free exchange of information, and our staff strives to maintain the highest professional journalistic ethics and standards.
We aim to prioritize truth, credibility, and transparency above all else in our reporting; hold the leadership of the student body, college and larger community accountable; and provide a platform for productive community dialogue.
As the official student newspaper of Occidental College, The Occidental aims to fulfill three primary functions. The first is to inform our audience by presenting unbiased and accurate information regarding topics and events of importance and interest to the Occidental and local community. The second is to serve as a public forum by providing commentary on issues important to the community and encouraging community members to respond, contribute and participate in community dialogue. The third is to educate by creating an effective and inclusive learning environment where staff members can learn the journalism trade and professional skills.
We are a completely student-run organization. We strive to uphold the Society of Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics as the standards for our policies and procedures.
Read our Frequently Asked Questions in order to learn more about our organization, practices and policies.