Start your college education with a common reading experience.
For decades, the Core Program has asked incoming É«ÇéÊÓƵ students to engage with a Summer Reading before they matriculate in the Fall. In assigning this common reading, our goals have been to stimulate discussion and promote critical thinking on topics of contemporary relevance; to help introduce students to the Mission of the College; and to provide a way for new students to connect with one another through a common intellectual experience. In recent years, the Summer Reading Program has joined with the Community Book Program to allow the entire Occidental community to participate.
For 2025-26, we have selected When We Walk By by Kevin F. Adler and Donald W. Burnes. When We Walk By will be a required text for incoming first-year students. This book ties into themes that will be part of our programming during the 2025–26 academic year and the focal point of several community-wide events, including an author talk in October. First-year students will be able to request free ebook copies of the book.
