Yitka Winn ’09

Hi! I'm Yitka - it's a Czech name, though my own heritage is Dutch and Swedish. I am a senior creative writing major with big dreams of changing the world with words, simple living, and movement - yoga, distance running, biking, swimming, snowboarding; you name it, I can't get enough of it.

Being able to work with my words creatively and hone my skills in college has been a long-standing dream of mine. Although I came to Oberlin with a narrow interest in fiction, I've branched out into creative nonfiction, translation, and most recently, poetry.

I stayed in Oberlin this past summer - an experience I can't recommend highly enough! - to intern for Oberlin College Press and FIELD magazine, an internationally recognized journal of contemporary poetry that's published right here on campus. I also work part time selling athletic shoes at a Dick's Sporting Goods in Elyria, a suburb of Cleveland - a job that has really allowed me to connect with the Ohio outside of Oberlin as well.

I also give campus tours to prospective students, help coordinate the Main Street Reading Series, and am currently organizing a 5K run/walk to raise money for the local public schools. This is my last semester before graduating, but I plan on sticking around for a few months afterward to work, volunteer, write, and continue processing all the growth and transformation that Oberlin has inspired in me.