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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![Netta Rappaport](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/netta_rappaport_12.jpg?itok=MDn0gQ1F)
On the ExCo Program
“What other place allows any undergrad student with a decent idea to create and teach their own course?”
Netta Rappaport ’12
![Daniel holds a hot dish in a food service kitchen](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/daniel_dudley_12.jpg?itok=CsZ6n0-W)
On cooking over winter term
“The Foodship was my refuge... of camaraderie and gastronomy with a splash of eccentricity on the top.”
Daniel Dudley ’12
![Wearing an apron, Weelic holds up a bottle of siracha and a whisk.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/weelic_chong_15.jpg?itok=VMOvlIR6)
On OSCA tofu making
“I learned what tofu meant to me: steeped in tradition and innovation, tofu is where the new and old come full circle, a circle spanning generations, a circle catalyzed in Harkness’ kitchen.”
Weelic Chong ’15
![Adam makes a funny face while holding a wide paintbrush](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/adam_kander_07.jpg?itok=aX_J9HQG)
On the energy of the arts at Oberlin
“This is Oberlin at its best. The constant performance, observation, and absorption of art in all its various forms. Oberlin is a place where art and creativity thrive, as long as there are students...
Adam Kander ’07
![Peter with his son as a toddler.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/peter_rathjens_81.jpg?itok=_5qXo_-o)
On watching his son attend Oberlin
“As much as Jake’s experience is distinct from mine, I’m glad that Oberlin is in no rush to move past the values and culture that provided me with so much 25 years ago, and that are serving Jake so...
Peter Rathjens ’81
![Juliette stands atop a high cliff, with mountains and sky behind her](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/juliette_lu_12.jpg?itok=blXie8Zf)
On interning at a hedge fund
“I had preconceived ideas of finance as a lofty, entirely mathematical, robotically exact, and overall boring kind of field. In no way, shape, or form would I have predicted that I would end up where...
Juliette Lu ’12
![A 1970s-era student receives her diploma at Commencement](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/emily_nord_mcclintock_76.jpg?itok=EOmVPl4a)
On leaving Oberlin and returning
“What I thought must be standard fare at all colleges - the excellent music, the spectacular art museum, the earnest students - proved not to be standard at all.”
Emily Nord McClintock ’76
![A group poses at a city bridge.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/yvette_chen_16.jpg?itok=wIyRtlLa)
On preparation
“Three years into college, I can say with confidence that my experiences inside and outside of the classroom have equipped me with the skills to fight for what I believe in.”
Yvette Chen ’16
![A group of 7 people dressed alike in black shirts and bluejeans](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/ambre_dromgoole_15.jpg?itok=P4AQcDeU)
On discovering the community of Afrikan Heritage House
“I had found a community that I knew would have my back, a community that I have now come to love and am unable to see myself without.”
Ambre Dromgoole ’15
![Rachel looks at a garden of tall, yellow flowers.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/rachel_parnell_16.jpg?itok=scMg_GHm)
On an unforgettable moment
“Although Kim Katrin Milan did not teach me the politics of radical love, I cannot help but acknowledge that she illuminated what was already so present in my life and the work that I wish to do. ”
Rachel Parnell ’16
![Two students wearing 'SITES' shirts sit in a circle with young children in a school classroom](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/leah_goldman_13.jpg?itok=UpQcFKje)
On teaching Spanish
“Teaching in SITES taught me to be patient, creative, and willing to make mistakes. But I became more confident as a teacher every day I saw my students become more confident in their learning.”
Leah Goldman ’13
![Two friends in Russian-style fur hats](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/gwen_krosnick_09.jpg?itok=xOImzYtD)
On learning Russian during Winter Term
“Sharing, with two of my best friends, those moments of joy and frustration, hilarity and utter confusion - it is something I could never have dreamed of anywhere but Oberlin, something I will...
Gwen Krosnick ’08