Above: 2023 Mary Lowther Ranney Distinguished Alumna Award Recipient Thembisa Mshaka '88
Mary Lowther Ranney Distinguished Alumna Award
Each year a Distinguished Alumna is nominated by fellow alumnae to be honored at the annual alumnae luncheon. The first recipients were chosen in 1988 and were two members of the Westridge student body from its founding in 1913. The citation for the award reads:
To honor Mary Lowther Ranney the award is given annually by Westridge School to an alumna whose life embodies the spirit of the Westridge motto, Surgere Tentamus, and who, by her commitment to her chosen path, her dedication to lifelong growth and learning, and her habits of heart, mind, and action is an example and inspiration to the Westridge community.
2023 Mary Lowther Ranney Distinguished Alumna Award Recipient
Thembisa Mshaka '88
Thembisa Mshaka ’88 is an award-winning multi-hyphenate, with experience as a creative executive, author, producer, filmmaker, voice actor, activist, and entertainment branding specialist. An LA native and founder of Mshaka Media, Thembisa’s career includes tenures at BET Networks and Sony Music. Her creative work has supported artists including Beyoncé and her voiceover talent has been tapped for the WNBA and Women of Team USA for NBC’s Peacock. In 2021, she was part of the inaugural Black Muslim TV Screenwriters cohort from the Hollywood Bureau, Muslim Public Affairs Council, and The Blackhouse Foundation. She sits on the advisory boards of the Universal Hip Hop Museum and the nonprofit GiveLyrics.
Distinguished Young Alumna Award
The Westridge Distinguished Young Alumna Award was established in 2020 to honor each year a young alumna who has made a meaningful impact in her community and notable strides in her chosen field. The citation for the award reads:
This award is given annually by Westridge School to a young alumna who exhibits excellence, leadership, and agency during her educational and career path, and who continues to serve as a role model and inspiration for Westridge students.
Above: 2023 Distinguished Young Alumna Award Recipient Sarah Beshir '10
2023 Distinguished Young Alumna Award Recipient
Sarah Beshir ’10
Sarah Beshir '10 is a systems engineer at a Top 5 aerospace
company, where she leads teams creating satellite system architecture models. She has developed command products and software tools and worked for the test and launch of satellites. In 2020, Sarah founded the social & racial justice working group at her company’s campus to drive awareness and solutions for racial justice by improving employee recruitment, retention, education, and communication. She supports the national nonprofit Eritrean Muslims Council as treasurer, and student STEM conferences in various roles. Sarah holds a bachelor’s in political science and environmental studies from the University of Southern California, and a master’s in systems engineering from Johns Hopkins University. She also holds a certificate in model-based systems engineering from Caltech and was a polymathic fellow at USC.
Nominate the next Distinguished Alumna Award recipients!
Past Award Winners
* denotes deceased
- 1988: Marian Brackenridge*
- 1988: Margaret Brackenridge Jones*
- 1989: Harriet Doerr*
- 1990: Anne Richardson Gilbert*
- 1991: Gwen Garland Babcock
- 1992: Joan Montgomery Hotchkis*
- 1993: Joan Lamb Ullyot*
- 1994: Jessie Reynolds Groothius
- 1995: Jae Giddings Carmichael*
- 1996: Julia Cates*
- 1997: Jean Tarr Fleming
- 1998: Audrey Steele Burnand*
- 1998: Polly Hunter Turpin*
- 1999: Helen Hastings Murphy
- 2000: Dorothy Hughes Matthiessen
- 2001: Joan Irvine Smith*
- 2002: Adelaide Finkbine Hixon*
- 2003: Margaret Taylor Cunningham
- 2004: Linda LeMoncheck
- 2005: Genna Rae McNeil
1988: Marian Brackenridge*
1988: Margaret Brackenridge Jones*
1989: Harriet Doerr*
1990: Anne Richardson Gilbert*
1991: Gwen Garland Babcock
1992: Joan Montgomery Hotchkis*
1993: Joan Lamb Ullyot*
1994: Jessie Reynolds Groothius
1995: Jae Giddings Carmichael*
1996: Julia Cates*
1997: Jean Tarr Fleming
1998: Audrey Steele Burnand*
1998: Polly Hunter Turpin*
1999: Helen Hastings Murphy
2000: Dorothy Hughes Matthiessen
2001: Joan Irvine Smith*
2002: Adelaide Finkbine Hixon*
2003: Margaret Taylor Cunningham
2004: Linda LeMoncheck
2005: Genna Rae McNeil
- 2006: Palmer Robinson
- 2007: Sara Sweezy Berry
- 2008: Joan Taufenback Haskell*
- 2009: Bonnie Dean
- 2010: Elizabeth Wayland Barber
- 2011: Nan Elliot Hale
- 2012: Alissa Arp
- 2013: Joni Moisant Weyl
- 2014: Mary Lowther Ranney*
- 2015: Nancy (Ophelia) Ennis Follett
- 2016: Elizabeth (Tizzie) Oldknow-Huttinger
- 2017: Heather Pidcoke
- 2018: Julie Frantz
- 2019: Sigrid Burton
- 2020: Jinko Gotoh
- 2020: Lauren Yang
- 2021: Jossalyn Turner Emslie
- 2021: Jade McKnight
- 2022: Vicki Vlachakis von Holzhausen
- 2022: Bianca Mabute-Louie '08