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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![Tanya holds up her 1990s-era Oberlin ID card.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/tanya_rosen-jones_97.jpg?itok=LC_KcpbZ)
On her Oberlin experience
“At Oberlin... I could design my own path. And I did just that, becoming more brave and adaptable with each new adventure. Being a student here makes you acutely aware of your own unlimited potential...
Tanya Rosen-Jones ’97
![Two scuba divers underwater, bubbles rising from their masks](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/joshua_levy_94.jpg?itok=RoXuyqT1)
On his January spent underwater
“Thanks to the Winter Term opportunity at Oberlin ... I’ve had the opportunity to see a manta ray in Hawaii, turtles in St. John, garden eels in Saba, docile sting rays in Cayman, and the most...
Joshua Levy ’94
![Niels stands on his head, twisting his legs in a pose.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/niels_bantilan_09.jpg?itok=gUsNvbSf)
On discovering hip-hip culture at Oberlin
“As I accumulated more knowledge about the music, art, and history of hip-hop through my independent research, I started to think outside the dance.”
Niels Bantilan ’09
![A man takes loaves out of a large oven](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/connor_lee_09.jpg?itok=4FP6Yi9L)
On learning to bake bread in a co-op
“Once I got over the fact that I could fit a few Hansels and Gretels inside the oven, it was just like any other kitchen, just larger and more awesome.”
Connor Lee ’09
![Prof. Schiff meets with a student.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/prof_ben_schiff.jpg?itok=qWEJOZdb)
On requiring students to write memos
“For many students, writing short is harder than writing long - but I believe it to be a valuable skill to add to the arsenal of writing styles that we promote here at Oberlin.”
Prof. Ben Schiff
![Diane Yu](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/diane_yu_73.jpg?itok=RevSNSEk)
On choosing Oberlin
“I had devoted countless hours in high school to efforts to better integrate the Rochester school systems and didn’t want to go to a place where diversity was an afterthought.”
Diane C. Yu ’73
![Karin Drucker](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/karin_drucker_11.jpg?itok=vY1WW_4s)
On falling in love with political theory
“I dorked out shamelessly to my uninterested friends about the authors and topics that grabbed me, but I also found others who were as curious as I.”
Karin Drucker ’11
![Five people, arms around one another](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/alice_ollstein_10.jpg?itok=L8HU1Arb)
On what a student co-op in Oberlin has in common with Nicaragua’s strongest union
“As we sat in my host mom Jacinta’s kitchen, I felt like a true partner, fighting alongside the UNAG because we want the same things for the same people.”
Alice Ollstein ’10
![Wendell Russell, Jr.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/wendell_russell_71.jpg?itok=1PVa4jcC)
On the ethos of Obies
“My Oberlin was very much a time and place of social ferment and activism, and while the issues may be different today, I know that Oberlin students will always be deeply involved in cutting edge...
Wendell Russell, Jr. ’71
![Reid and a friend at Memorial Arch.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/reid_palmer_14.jpg?itok=mrQ7UYL4)
On a full-fledged learning experience
“No matter our individual passions, Oberlin provides us the opportunity to do what we love while connecting us with peers and professors that broaden our perspectives and help us make connections.”
Reid Palmer ’14
![Francesca hand out information while wearing a Day of Service 2008 tee shirt](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/francesca_minonne_08.jpg?itok=AYAV0hyH)
On her connection to the town of Oberlin
“I will take what I have learned with me: that academics and civic engagement can and should be combined, producing something far more enriching together than either alone.”
Francesca Minonne ’08
![Group of students in a dining hall](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/liam_oznowich_17.jpg?itok=L7rz6q8s)
On finding his voice in a creative writing class
“Never before have I felt that excited about a story I was telling, which became all the more empowering when I realized this story was also my life.”
Liam Oznowich ’17