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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![Isadora raises a gavel](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/isadora_jaffee_13.jpg?itok=5HD7cFaz)
On being on the mock trial team
“Our successful team is the perfect example of how you can create your very own passionate enterprise at Oberlin and find others who want to help.”
Isadora Jaffee ’13
![Sarah plays with a Ghanaian child.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/sarah_frank_09.jpg?itok=GKdlYJ9B)
On her semester in Ghana
“Sankofa means “return to your roots.” Sankofa is an important concept, because in order to grow, you cannot always move forward. You must go backwards, and go home, in order to make the distance...
Sarah Frank ’09
![Four people, 2 older and 2 younger](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/brandi_ferrebee_10.jpg?itok=HK9CH2sy)
On alumni support
“I’ve had the good luck to have several incredible alums on my side, helping me through those new experiences I’ve chosen and nudging me towards the new ones which they instinctively know I will need...
Brandi Ferrebee ’10
![Soccer players on the sidelines. One wears a short with number 86 and the name Der Soul Stealer.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/max_hovey_13.jpg?itok=H3yOba4t)
On the universal language on soccer
“Intramural soccer has given me a new knowledge base... I’d be lying if I said that my current appreciation for soccer hadn’t solidified my choice of pursuing Hispanic studies at Oberlin.”
Max Hovey ’13
![Three students at a table with calculators. One holds up a card.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/jiayu_lin_11.jpg?itok=9425nJhW)
On being a member of Oberlin Student Finance and Investment Club
“All club members learn together in various forms: an ExCo, themed discussions at meetings, and, most often, the teamwork involved with putting together the stock presentations.”
Jiayu Lin ’11
![People looking through a rack of clothes.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/stacia_thompson_11.jpg?itok=L0Wq8syS)
On the Big Swap
“We are sustainability royalty for the week. Who else would skate home wrapped in a down comforter and carrying green alligator pillows under their arms all in the name of re-use and resource...
Stacia Thompson ’11
![A group of women dressed for an evening event](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/chelsea_de_souza_16.jpg?itok=UQ0bum2D)
On learning to choose
“Oberlin has helped me with something that I have struggled with my entire life — the strength to make choices and believe in them despite any regrets that might follow.”
Chelsea de Souza ’16
![An outdoor stand with many cards of earrings on a board.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/monica_greene_07.jpg?itok=4_GyNoXz)
On starting a non-profit while still at Oberlin
“The Heart Project was intended to be a small jewelry sale, but developed into something much bigger than we ever imagined.”
Monica Greene ’07
![Two women seated in a room with several windows](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/julia_maier_12.jpg?itok=n-Yrrx-K)
On Oberlin family history
“If I stare carefully at the ceiling of the turret and employ my imagination, I can see the mural mosaic that was painted while my father lived in the room.”
Julia Maier ’12
![Tim at graduation.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/tim_russell_92.jpg?itok=MDxrz2Ev)
On acceptance at Oberlin
“Oberlin opened a world to me that I never knew existed ... It represented the diversity that the world has to offer, not just race and ethnicity, but religion and sexual orientation, in a safe and...
Tim Russell ’92
![Protesters holding a sign reading We March for Pablo Lopez Romero](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/cynthia_malasky_11.jpg?itok=Ve_nhxr-)
On working with IWP
“For two months, I have been in charge of the Oberlin region, working with two other student interns to teach English classes, serve as interpreters, and prepare for court cases for undocumented and...
Cynthia Malasky ’11
![Nolan in a classroom.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/nolan_grieve_10.jpg?itok=HiPJUcYr)
On an Oberlin education
“Each semester, to my continual surprise, Oberlin provides me both with the raw material of life experience and the tools with which to shape it into something with purpose.”
Nolan Grieve ’10