ARE Alumna '14 Diana Ngo is Honored with the Occidental College Linda and Tod White Teaching Prize

November 29, 2021

“Professor Ngo is so excited about economics that I bet she would scream it from the rooftops if she could,” a student wrote. In the classroom, what her students call her genuineness and relatability, her well-structured and feedback-oriented teaching style, and her sense of humor make economics come alive. “One of the most noteworthy features of Professor Ngo is her willingness to listen,” one student wrote. “Rather than simply sending struggling students to the various support services on campus, she first sought information on how she could improve.” Genuine is the word that best describes Dr. Ngo, one student said. “I certainly was not an A student in her course, but I never once felt as if I was being judged for not knowing something. Not in class, not during the hours I spent in her office hours, not in the lengthy email chains we had.”

Multiple students say that they never would have thought about participating in summer research had Ngo not urged them to do so, and mentored them throughout the process. “Professor Ngo did above and beyond what was required: she tailored the research program for me so that I could benefit the most from the program,” one said. Her mentorship extends far beyond graduation. One student described how her advice and support guided her through her first jobs after graduation and then through the process of applying for graduate school. “I see her as my role model for teaching and mentoring,” she wrote. 

Congratulations on your award Professor Ngo! (3rd from left)