Welcome Home Alumni Return for Homecoming Festivities
Westmont alums return to campus Oct. 17-19 for Homecoming and a weekend of events, including the annual Alumni Awards Celebration Brunch and Westmont Golf Classic. Find the full schedule of events at westmont.edu/homecoming.
The celebration brunch honor Alumnus of the Year Rob Ring '90, Alumnae of the Year sisters Alexis Bennett (Otterlei) '05 and Leah Pillsbury (Otterlei) '00, Young Alumnus of the Year Spencer Dusebout '15 and Global Service Award winner Lindsey Connolly '08. The event, which costs $40 per guest and must be purchased beforehand, will begin at 9:30 a.m. at the Global Leadership Center.
The 14th annual Westmont Golf Classic, known for many years as “Will’s Tourney," began in 2008 to celebrate the memory of alumnus Will Wiersma ‘06. All the money raised will support Westmont students. Raffle prizes include a custom Westmont Kradul Golf Bag, a Scottie Scheffler-autographed Hero World Challenge flag, and a Scheffler-autographed Arnold Palmer Invitational flag. Every golfer will enjoy a complimentary Chick-fil-A lunch at the course, followed by a fantastic tri-tip and chicken dinner to celebrate. Non-golfers are welcome to purchase tickets for the dinner celebration.
Ring, who earned a doctorate in molecular neurobiology at the Irell & Manella Graduate School of Biological Sciences, serves as CEO of London-based Kaerus Bioscience, which focuses on finding treatments for patients with rare genetic syndromes causing intellectual disability, autism and epilepsy. A neuroscientist by training, Ring is a globally recognized expert in neurodevelopmental disorders with over 30 years of experience in research and executive leadership roles. At Westmont, he double-majored in biology and was a decorated decathlete and All-American soccer player. He will also speak in chapel on Friday, Oct. 17, at 10:30 a.m. in Murchison Gym.
Bennett and Pillsbury founded Orka Health and Wellness, providing compassionate, client-centered care through teletherapy and support services through a team of licensed therapists, registered dietitian, clinical nutrition coach, psychologist, parent coach and spiritual coach.
Orka reflects their commitment to balance, connection and meaningful support for the clients they serve while creating space for them to be present with their families. Orka — a Swedish word that means to be bothered enough to do something about it and have the physical or mental energy to do it — captures their shared passion and vision. Both sisters are Licensed Independent Clinical Social Workers and have earned a Master in Social Work.
Dusebout co-founded Hands4Others (H4O) when he was 16, turning a back-of-the-napkin idea into a movement that brought clean water to more than 250,000 people in 17 countries. That experience sparked a lifelong passion for using technology to solve big, meaningful problems. He’s built and advised a number of Software as a Service (SaaS) companies that spanned business intelligence, automation and machine learning. He has served as CEO and CPO at ventures such as Aidium, SparkTalk and Lendware.
Connolly co-founded the non-profit Destined for Grace 17 years ago to educate and improve the lives of children in Haiti. Through donations and funds raised at their Goleta thrift stores, the non-profit has established a school and garden in Mirebalais that feeds and provides an education for the children. Although the city experienced gang-related violence earlier this year, forcing school staff and students to flee the area, Destined for Grace officials regularly communicate with Haitian community leaders to assess when they can safely reopen the school. Connolly, interim head coach for Westmont’s track and field team this season during Russell Smelley’s sabbatical, also coaches the college’s cross country teams.