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
![Victoria González-Rivera](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/victoria_gonzalez_rivera_90.jpg?itok=E6BJG5Ah)
On writing Nicaraguan women’s history
“I became a feminist and started to focus on an overarching question that would absorb much of my time over the next two decades: why assume that only white women fought back against sexism before...
Victoria González-Rivera ’90
![A protester holds a sign](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/aaron_appel_16.jpg?itok=IRgPKtwc)
On experiential learning
“What I chose to do while at The Philadelphia Center would have been inconceivable had I not spent the last two and a half years living in this small-town Ohio community.”
Aaron Appel ’16
![A group of people seated in a boat on a mountain lake.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/peter_nguyen_16.jpg?itok=s7YIM6qM)
On studying away
“I’m very passionate about exploring the world because I believe experiencing many different cultures is integral to developing a wider understanding, as well as a deeper connection to one’s self.”
Peter Nguyen ’16
![SciFi residents gather around a hoard of toy laser guns and light sabers spread out on a pool table](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/julie_lopresto_12.jpg?itok=dlt2fEMT)
On living on SciFi Hall
“...when I step out my door, there will be a friendly face around the corner. I’ve made some of the best friends I’ve ever had there, and have found what I’m proud to call my home at Oberlin.”
Julie Lopresto ’12
![Eliot and a friend](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/eliot_hart-nelson_15.jpg?itok=DW1SnjuD)
On clarity and falling down
“...In this moment I became aware of how much more comfortable with being alone I had become during my time at Oberlin.”
Eliot Hart-Nelson ’15
![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
![Exterior of the Allen museum](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/ally_sterman_09.jpg?itok=5yZM0drA)
On being a docent in Oberlin’s world-class art museum
“I have been leading tours of the museum’s broad and overwhelmingly impressive collection for almost four years now, and the joy of engaging visitors in discussions concerning art has only...
Ally Sterman ’09
![Rachel at a French canal.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/rachel_ippolito_13.jpg?itok=dcF-MU4c)
On studying abroad in France
“I was lost. But rather than moping around in disappointment, I decided to embrace the novelty of all that was around me.”
Rachel Ippolito ’13
![A college student reads to agroup of attentive preschoolers](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/leah_awkward-rich_17.jpg?itok=jOd70HxH)
On tutoring at Head Start
“I witnessed the kids I spent several hours a week with mature emotionally and personally, and I was given the opportunity to participate as they learned brand new concepts.”
Leah Awkward-Rich ’17
![A student touches a transparent globe that contains bolts of electricity](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/gabrielle_walsh_18.jpg?itok=kV_g0J50)
On a foundational winter term project
“Under Professor Matlin, I gained confidence in my lab work and got to befriend older student researchers who were already engrossed in the chemistry department and greater scientific community.”
Gabrielle Walsh ’18
![2 women look at a menu](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/anne_hoffman_08.jpg?itok=so6FJofC)
On habits developed at Oberlin
“I spent mornings at Black River, nursing coffee and developing an addiction from which I have no intention of recovering. I read political theory that made my brain feel like it was on fire. I read...
Anne Hoffman ’08
![Sam at the dinner table with his host family.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/sam_good_09.jpg?itok=4rQIurJm)
On studying abroad
“I have dozens of hilarious stories that encapsulate a year of cross-cultural misunderstandings with a group of genuinely caring people who went out of their way on an hourly basis to make sure I was...
Sam Good ’09