Pit Perfect Avo Fest Artwork 

A Westmont art professor has the toast-worthy talent the California Avocado Festival judges wanted. They unveiled Scott Anderson’s playful illustration – an avocado sunbathing on the beach – at the Carpinteria Farmers Market. Available now, limited-edition posters and T-shirts featuring his design will also be sold at the 39th annual celebration, “Peace, Love & Guacamole,” October 3-5.

An accomplished local illustrator and graphic designer who began teaching at Westmont in 1999, Anderson has deep roots in Carpinteria. He and his wife lived in Franciscan Village from 2002 to 2007 and often attended the festival on warm fall afternoons. “It captures the small-town spirit of Carp so well,” he says. “Being a former resident made it special to become the poster artist.” 

His design draws on childhood memories of visiting his grandfather on Ash Avenue and spending long, sunny days at Carpinteria State Beach. “For me, Carp is synonymous with the beach,” Anderson says. “So, it seemed the logical solution for the poster – let’s depict an avocado soaking up the sun on the beach.”

His poster also appears in Lines of Inquiry: Westmont Art Faculty Exhibition Fall 2025, on display at the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art through November 1. The exhibit highlights Anderson’s creative process for posters designed for Westmont’s music and theater departments, showing an array of sketches, preliminary drawings, and framed prints of the digitally
painted finals.

Anderson’s clients include the New York Times, The Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, The Hollywood Reporter, and MAD Magazine, among others. This December, the annual 100 Grand exhibition at Sullivan Goss will feature one of his paintings.

Alumna Leads ICP with Heart

Alumna Kailie Grinder (‘16), who earned a doctorate in intercultural studies at Fuller Theological Seminary, has returned to campus as Westmont’s intercultural programs (ICP) interim director.

A student leader in ICP during her college years, she created spaces where all students, including students of color and those from international backgrounds, could feel they belonged. “God used my journey of learning to advocate for others to deepen my passion to empower and encourage those who stood in the margins,” she says. “This calling, grounded in my own story of being multiracial, multiethnic and multicultural, led to a variety of vocations in education, ministry and the marketplace.”

After graduating from Westmont, she served as an inner-city elementary school teacher, executive pastor, researcher and emissary with two organizations that equipped missionary families for deployment around the globe.

For her doctorate, she looked at third-culture kids (TCKs), those who grow up in cultures outside of their parents’ home country, to understand the mix of cultures that shape them and how people who mentor or guide them can help them feel confident living between different worlds. 

“I took on the ambitious task of not only bridging the gaps I saw in previous TCK studies, but also communicating a vital message of hope that TCKs can enjoy amazing gifts from a life lived in between cultures,” she says. “It was an honor to witness TCKs from around the world courageously sharing their stories and affirming this message of hope amidst the crucibles they navigated. I’m incredibly thankful that my dissertation went beyond the realm of theory; it led to tangible applications that allowed me to help strengthen the care of TCKs within families and institutions.”

Grinder appreciates the quality education she received and the lifelong friendships she made at Westmont, but admits she struggled to be accepted by her Christian peers. “God has impressed upon me the importance of building people up to be ALL of who they are so they can confidently walk into whatever calling He has placed on their lives,” she says. “I intend to mentor students with this goal in mind, starting with my student leaders in ICP.”

Her student-leader team developed a vision statement for the semester: “We boldly empower our communities in such a way that we are known for our compassionate and resilient pursuit of unity in diversity.” The organization is open to all students.