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.
Add your story
![Kelpler with Prof. Whelan outside The Local coffee shop](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/kepler_mears_17.jpg?itok=VZ0JPRYd)
On mouthing off in public
“If I hadn’t said it and it hadn’t been heard, I’m not sure I would have met Professor Whelan in the way I did or formed a friendship with her.”
Kepler Mears ’17
![Students pose as statues by a stone wall](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/eush_tayco_09.jpg?itok=dJIiV0Hw)
On visiting Greece
“The beauty of the environment and the ancient sites we visited convinced me to keep studying Classics; I wanted to know more about who built the sanctuaries at Epidaurus and the temples at Delphi,...
Eush Tayco ’09
![Zoe and a dog on the front steps of a brick house.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/zoe_gould_14.jpg?itok=dETARWOj)
On becoming a writer
“This piece was not just a reflection of my own competency, like other formal essays had been; this was someone else’s story entirely.”
Zoe Gould ’14
![Two students in front of a scientific poster under the heading Poster Prize Winners](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/andrea_goltz_17.jpg?itok=upuwzuUz)
On being there for others
“When I got tired, I’d always have Ren to go to. I’d sit in a little nook in her supply room-turned-office for five minutes, ten minutes, an hour, and just talk about life, or about the various...
Andrea Goltz ’17
![Robert and Melanie.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/robert_palacios_13.jpg?itok=dUJi8h1y)
On finding an alumni mentor
“What will always remain the most important aspect of the relationship are the stories we have shared, the lessons I have learned, and the friendship we have formed across the generations.”
Robert Palacios ’13
![Young man in sunglasses](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/louis_grube_09.jpg?itok=xf8cpEU8)
On the culture of Oberlin
“We carry ourselves with an air of courtesy and responsibility to others that shows itself daily in both our smallest actions and in our viewpoints about the way the world should be.”
Louis Grube ’09
![A group of laughing, smiling friends](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/hannah_gordon_11.jpg?itok=nY95HTzz)
On her service trip to Open Ground
“Throughout the week, so many tight-knit connections were formed among people from various niches of Oberlin—people who otherwise would have probably never even met each other.”
Hannah Gordon ’11
![Group of 5 women in a classroom](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/assiatou_diallo_08.jpg?itok=MOHV2802)
On the interdisciplinary nature of her Oberlin experience
“I love learning, and my own life sits at so many intersections. At Oberlin, I felt at home with my peers who were passionate about using their academic studies for social change.”
Assiatou B. Diallo ’08
![Sarah and friends.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/sarah_cheshire_14.jpg?itok=j0S8EWmq)
On learning from peers
“My education at Oberlin has occurred not only in the classroom, but through living and constantly engaging with so many different people from so many different life contexts.”
Sarah Cheshire ’14
![Maurice leads a rehearsal.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/maurice_cohn_17.jpg?itok=BYk82duB)
On conducting a youth orchestra
“Music is a living art, not to be kept in the glass cases of history museums...I can help foster that kind of energy and excitement about performing in another generation of musicians.”
Maurice Cohn ’17
![Two electric guitarists play with enthusiasm](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/jamie_helmsworth_13.jpg?itok=pidNLG0D)
On starting a band at Oberlin
“The music scene is merely a symptom of an infectious enthusiasm that pervades Oberlin’s student body. The zeal with which students here plunge themselves into their personal pursuits is unparalleled...
Jamie Helmsworth ’13
![A house with solar panels is reflected in water](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/carl_mcdaniel_64.jpg?itok=ye0-njRp)
On his climate-neutral home in Oberlin
“For almost three decades we imagined building a passive solar house ... After a very intense two years, we moved into Trail Magic, our home among kindred spirits dedicated to creating a more durable...
Carl McDaniel ’64