Oberlin Stories Project
We have collected hundreds of personal narratives from students, alumni, faculty, and staff that explain the merits and strengths of Oberlin through the eyes of those who have experienced it firsthand.
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![A pair of hands places the top on a jack-o-lantern](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/jane_sandberg_10.jpg?itok=W1VQRd6M)
On facing fears
“Sometimes the best way to get over an issue is to throw yourself into the middle of it and figure out how to make it work for you. This was the story of my first year at Oberlin... Oberlin is a...
Jane Sandberg ’10
![A cockatiel is perched on Cassandra's finder](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/cassandra_dean_17.jpg?itok=aVUw-Zhi)
On becoming a good researcher
“I am now able to conduct research at a higher level than most people expect of an undergraduate student, and my ability to network and schedule have improved dramatically.”
Cassandra Dean ’17
![Steve holds a camera.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/steve_bagley_06.jpg?itok=nXjGtcrS)
On implementing Oberlin ideals
“As a reporter, I have the power to actually change the world. I can uncover corruption and expose it. I can discover things and show them to people, change the world by spreading knowledge.”
Steve Bagley ’06
![Nancy speaks in front of a whiteboard with phrases including Fun → Change, under pressure, why are we here?](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/nancy_chapple_83.jpg?itok=_0eY5-Kw)
On living the double-degree life
“There was no holding me back, and I plunged into both areas of study. My weekday schedule was intense ... the discipline to practice and study, the drive to learn came from inside.”
Nancy Chapple ’83
![A disc jockey spins a record](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/joshua_davidson_12.jpg?itok=R67S20hh)
On having a show on WOBC
“In my years of DJing, the station always felt like a tight ship, full of equally obsessive folks seeking out just the right record and wanting to share that ecstatic moment with the greater...
Joshua Davidson ’12
![Group of volunteers in jumpsuits and protective gear](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/colin_jones_08.jpg?itok=q_cc8Hqx)
On volunteering in post-Katrina New Orleans
“The values of service, hard work, and solidarity in the pursuit of justice that were instilled by Oberlin pushed us forward.”
Colin Jones ’08
![Group of people riding in the back of a pickup truck.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/toussaint_mears-clarke_09.jpg?itok=hHTL_T7r)
On academics at Oberlin
“Understanding the subject matter of any class at Oberlin is an undertaking that requires a deliberate purpose of mind. Professors bring you to understand a subject without ever just giving you the...
Toussaint Mears-Clarke ’09
![A professor handles a test tube while Olivia looks on.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/olivia_winter_08.jpg?itok=i69N-s7I)
On being a researcher
“I am excited about asking questions, picking apart ideas, and proposing new ways of thinking about problems. I obsess over the details of study designs and execution, all the while striving to be...
Olivia Winter ’08
![A grade school class learns about a sculpture at a museum](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/dessane_cassell_14.jpg?itok=mbwDbSnD)
On a change in perspective
“The distinction between my vantage point and that of the students had yielded entirely different interpretations of the work without us even realizing it.”
Dessane Cassell ’14
![Two women handle a spool](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/alia_kate_08.jpg?itok=ZMoXBXm0)
On her new rug-importing venture, Kantara Crafts
“I have just returned from Morocco with my first batch of rugs and the excitement is palpable; what started with my desire to make a difference on a local level two years ago has now turned into a...
Alia Kate ’08
![R. Jon MacDonald](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/r_jon_macdonald_03.jpg?itok=t9B6I5X7)
On entrepreneurship
“The flexibility and desire to allow students to do what they believe is best for them has paid off in more ways than I can count and led to lifelong entrepreneur endeavors.”
R. Jon MacDonald ’03
![A woman asks a question at a fruits & vegetables stand.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/young_kim_85.jpg?itok=izGRqB3q)
On starting an agency to help inner city Milwaukee residents eat fresh, local food
“Oberlin gave me the balanced education and multi-disciplinary vision that makes this work possible...I learned to be confident, curious, tenacious, generous, and inclusive.”
Young Kim ’85