Leadership Pasadena & the Caltech Y: Community-First in Action

LP Alumni Courtney Reddix (red cap) and Liz Jackman (striped shirt) pictured here with Caltech Y RISE tutors. 

Leadership Pasadena alumni have joined the Friends, board, and staff of the Caltech Y in eye-catching numbers. The century-old organization (not affiliated with the YMCA/YWCA) complements the exceptional training in science and engineering that Caltech offers its students, helping them to engage civically, try out adventurous challenges, and build their social, cultural, and ethical awareness. Does that sound familiar?

“The community-first, action-based approach is very similar to how LP functions,” says Caltech Y student programs coordinator Courtney Reddix (LP ’18, veterans program). Through both nonprofits, he says, you can step outside your comfort zone and engage with others you may never get a chance to interact with otherwise.

Amir Sadjadpour (LP ’22, Caltech PhD ’06), a regular at Caltech Y Friends events, feels that the Caltech Y and LP both are committed to developing home-grown leaders and making a positive impact on the community. He appreciates that both organizations offer training opportunities for members and prioritize diversity and inclusion.

Caltech staff members Leslie Maxfield (LP ’18, Caltech BS ’95), Mitch Aiken (LP ’14), and Ann (Wendland) Motrunich (LP ’12) joined chair Cindy Bengtson (LP ’17) and secretary Katie Clark (LP ’20) on the Caltech Y board this year. Maxfield notes that she was drawn to the organization because she wants to help students connect with opportunities outside the classroom and lab so they will thrive and have an enjoyable, enriching Caltech experience.

Students develop and lead the Caltech Y’s programs. The staff, board, and Friends pitch in with expertise, elbow grease, and funding. Students serve meals at the local homeless shelter, invite influential activists to speak at Caltech, collect gently used lab equipment for schools in need, dedicate holiday breaks to science policy and service trips, tutor and read to schoolchildren, and organize Make a Difference Day and WorldFest on campus.

The RISE program, where Caltech students tutor and mentor local K-12 students, is especially dear to Aiken’s heart. “It is an incredible gift to the community,” he says.

The logistical powerhouses behind RISE and other programs are Liz Jackman (LP ’18), the Caltech Y’s associate director of student programs, and Reddix. Caltech staff member Vicki Chiu (LP ’20) helps communicate the organization’s accomplishments, producing stunning annual reports and other design–intensive projects.

Bengston sums up LP alumni involvement with Caltech Y perfectly. “The fact that so many LP alums have come together to serve the Caltech Y shows how LP creates bonds beyond its own classrooms and how it propels its graduates out into the wider community.”

By Ann Montrunich, LP Alumni

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