Reconnect, Celebrate and Inspire: Homecoming Welcomes Alums Back to Campus

Westmont welcomes alums, families and friends back to campus for a weekend packed with community celebrations, class reunions, academic showcases and traditions during Homecoming Oct. 16-18. Highlights of the weekend include the 15th annual Westmont Classic Golf Tournament raising funds for student scholarships, dynamic talks led by alums, student research displays, and the annual Alumni Awards Celebration Brunch honoring distinguished graduates. 

For the complete schedule, registration and ticket information, please visit westmont.edu/homecoming.

The weekend’s anchor event, the Alumni Award Brunch, takes place Saturday, Oct. 17, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Global Leadership Center, where the college will recognize exceptional graduates for their outstanding leadership, service and professional achievements: 

• Alumnus of the Year — Kiah Jordan ’06: Founder and president of Impact Family Office in Santa Barbara and a California Licensed Professional Fiduciary, Jordan provides independent trustee and wealth stewardship services centered on values-based financial management. He actively serves the Santa Barbara community, chairing the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission Board and serving on boards for the Towbes Foundation and the Santa Barbara Foundation. 

• Alumna of the Year — Sarah Spengeman ’01: A leader in communications about climate policy, Spengeman works for the Crux Alliance to implement ambitious clean-energy policies globally. Guided by her faith, she serves as board secretary for Interfaith Power & Light and advocates for climate justice through national policy outlets. 

• Young Alumnus of the Year — Aaron Wilk ’16: A physician-scientist, clinical pathologist and translational immunologist at Stanford University School of Medicine, Wilk co-founded and directs the Translational Laboratory for Immunology and Cellular Function. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he developed the first single-cell atlas of the peripheral immune response to severe COVID-19, and he continues to pioneer next-generation diagnostic tests for immune system cancers while remaining active in music. 

• Global Service Award — Nick ’94 and Jen McKinney Greener ’98: For 20 years, the Greeners have served with Water for Life (a branch of Youth with a Mission), directing projects across 12 African countries that have provided clean drinking water to over 100,000 people. Operating out of Cape Town, South Africa, their current initiatives partner with local churches to establish community farms and sustainable agriculture training. 

Friday’s events begin with opportunities to attend open classes, explore the newly opened Will Wiersma Disc Golf Course on lower campus, and view art exhibitions at the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art. Other Friday highlights include the dedication and ribbon-cutting for the newly renovated Boersma Tennis Complex at 3:15 p.m., a Celebration of Summer Research showcasing more than 30 student projects on Winter Hall’s third floor atrium, and a lecture by President Gayle D. Beebe about his new book, “Leadership and the Liberal Arts,” at 2 p.m. The evening caps off with Sunset Sips & Snacks at Butterfly Beach, the inaugural performance of “The Future is Short” in Porter Theatre, stargazing at the Keck Telescope observatory and individual class reunions in Santa Barbara and Montecito.

Saturday kicks off with the Alums and Families Sand Castle Contest at East Beach at 9 a.m., followed by campus tours, a worship service on Winter Lawn, and short faculty/alumni talks covering topics ranging from AI and human flourishing to climate stewardship and burnout. Families can gather in front of Murchison Gym from noon to 3:30 p.m. for the All-Alumni Tailgate, featuring free lunch and Rori’s Ice Cream for the first 200 alums—alongside a Kids Fair complete with carnival games and climbing walls. Evening festivities close with class reunions spanning from 1966 to 2021 across Santa Barbara, the annual student Homecoming Dodgeball Competition and additional theater performances.