Occidental College is among the most distinctive urban liberal arts colleges in the country. Founded in 1887 as the first liberal arts college in Los Angeles, Oxy provides a gifted and diverse group of students with a total educational experience of the highest quality -- one that prepares them for leadership in an increasingly complex, interdependent and pluralistic world. Among the College’s esteemed alumni are President Barack Obama '83, Jack Kemp '57, federal judge Jacqueline Nguyen '87, and director Terry Gilliam '62.