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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![Evan beside a video monitor showing environmental data](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/evan_tincknell_14.jpg?itok=M3GDSste)
On joining the Great Lakes Research family
“It’s incredible to be engaging with people from whom I am constantly learning, and to be taking academic courses that seem so relevant to my work and the world in general.”
Evan Tincknell ’14
![Robert and his spouse Steven pose with a fluffy poodle.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/robert_frascino_74.jpg?itok=w94Orov2)
On things gained from his time here
“Oberlin taught me many things ... It allowed me to evolve, survive and thrive in ways I never could have imagined on that sunny afternoon thirty-five years ago flinging a Frisbee with Cousin Itt and...
Robert Frascino ’74
![Anita with a group of young women in Mongolia](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/anita_fahrni_65.jpg?itok=6hwi2r8p)
On changing the world, one book at a time
“After returning, I started to collect, sort and send books. Within 10 years, over 220,000 books would find their way from my garage to libraries throughout Mongolia!”
Anita Fahrni ’65
![House with many windows](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/lisa_amor_petrov_85.jpg?itok=vqqnfYT8)
On living in the Women’s Collective
“I was blessed by the intimacy that can come from searching, together with other women, for an understanding of what it means to be a feminist.”
Lisa Amor Petrov ’85
![Three people, one wearing a lab coat](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/hidong_kim_87.jpg?itok=sbpaCljh)
On being a life-long learner
“The same crackling energy I felt at Oberlin when immersing myself in new learning I now feel in medical school... Once again, the academic rigor I acquired at Oberlin lights my path.”
Hidong Kim ’87
![Sandy Waters](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/sandy_waters_71.jpg?itok=YLaJVQB4)
On the Oberlin student body
“My Oberlin friends came from... all over the place. All races and all faiths, they had attended both public and private high schools... they were independent, intellectually curious, intelligent,...
Sandy Waters ’71
![Becca at the shore](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/becca_orleans_16.jpg?itok=kN82n37_)
On combining interests in creative writing and environmental studies
“In providing a text that shares experiences of running and strength in running, I hope that this collection helps women feel more empowered to openly move throughout the environment.”
Becca Orleans ’16
![Sitting on the Freedom House porch, which rests on cinder blocks, Matthew holds a rifle. Black and white photo circa late 1960's.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/matthew_rinaldi_69.jpg?itok=hi9SYFP-)
On working with the Oberlin Action for Civil Rights
“Oberlin played a major role in the student civil rights movement... Not just one person, but many people, linked arm and arm together, ended the reign of white supremacy in the Deep South.”
Matthew Rinaldi ’69
![Young man in a crowd wearing a boutonnière on his suit jacket](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/jaremy_rich_07.jpg?itok=OEL0bAfV)
On defining Oberlin
“There are thousands of attributes, numbers and statistics that you could chime off that make Oberlin marginally better or worse than any given institution...what the Princeton Review or the US News...
Jaremy Rich ’07
![Members of the co-op pose holding bike parts.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/sophie_newman_17.jpg?itok=SzH9UFaV)
On practicing problem solving
“It wasn’t until I joined the Oberlin Bike Co-op that I realized just how satisfying finding an answer can be.”
Sophie Newman ’17
![A woman plays a pipe organ](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/catherine_oertel_99.jpg?itok=YMaVoTsu)
On teaching at Oberlin
“I have initiated new synthetically-oriented research projects in my laboratory here, but I have also continued my work on organ pipe corrosion with students who have been attracted by research that...
Catherine Oertel ’99
![Her identity concealed by a cardboard box over her head, a woman runs in the grass, her cape flapping behind her.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/miriam_rothenberg_12.jpg?itok=QsjWaVcw)
On living in Sci-Fi Hall
“They were friendly, loud, crazy, and nerdy. Furthermore, they were welcoming, encouraging me to participate despite my complete lack of knowledge of the linguistic origins of Tolkien’s Elvish...
Miriam Rothenberg ’12