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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![Jessica receives a huge, ceremonial check for $10,000](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/jessica_levine_95.jpg?itok=7qmMCK6A)
On the level of teaching at Oberlin
“Great teachers make a difference in our lives because they knew how to support us and how to push us. Educators at Oberlin do so in the most masterful way. They are both craftsman and scholars. They...
Jessica Levine ’95
![Nandita adjusts sound levels on the mixing board.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/nandita_krishna_16.jpg?itok=QvoFiAR7)
On college and community radio
“While my interest in WOBC started with a desire to pore through the seemingly endless music library, it ultimately made possible the most significant part of my Oberlin experience so far: meeting...
Nandita Krishna ’16
![A man and woman hold two young children](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/chase_palmer_08.jpg?itok=UHK62FFA)
On opportunity
“I spent many years grappling with what type of profession I wanted to pursue in my life. I considered medicine, legal work, and many other paths. But one thing always remained the same: my passion...
Chase Palmer ’08
![Ty Diringer](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/ty_diringer_14.jpg?itok=XY5Y61_V)
On embracing public speaking
“My tenure on the Student Union Board helped me to know with certainty that I wanted to enter a world of pivotal dialogue with a firm, clear voice, and gave me confidence that I could.”
Ty Diringer ’14
![Jules tries to balance on a log over a stream](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/jules_brouillet_10.jpg?itok=joRrUquE)
On the things to do at Oberlin
“There are enough great organizations, activities, events and concerts here that it is impossible for one student to do everything or even half of everything. The hardest decision that many students...
Jules Brouillet ’10
![Patrick holds up a bowling ball under colorful lights.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/patrick_doherty_11.jpg?itok=kVQ-ioqr)
On bonding with professors
“On bowling night, anyone interested in the History department can come to the College’s bowling alley and bowl for free! Why is this fun? Because most of us can’t bowl to save our lives.”
Patrick Doherty ’11
![A violinist rehearses](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/crystal_sheffield_12.jpg?itok=jcO98kmH)
On visiting Oberlin
“As I planned my schedule of classes to visit, I found myself tempted by the different departments listed and the variety of classes offered. I barely had time to fit in a conservatory class because...
Crystal Sheffield ’12
![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
![Woan stands by a grand piano.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/woan_foong_wong_09.jpg?itok=_is7s1cr)
On a day in the life of a double-degree student
“I was congratulated by friends who had either attended my honors economics presentation or had played my piece in the orchestra... how impossible my life would have been had I taken my diverse...
Woan Foong Wong ’09
![Rachel in the company of 4 young Nicaraguan children.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/rachel_b_15.jpg?itok=ZYjjJQa9)
On studying the legacy of war in Nicaragua
“I set out to learn from the village’s people by gathering oral histories of those who were living during the war and learning how it changed their lives and their country.”
Rachel B. ’15
![Two people in groovy 1970s attire pose by a boulder painted with the words, Look Ma, We Made It](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/elizabeth_taylor_quilliam_74.jpg?itok=draOo5YV)
On the influence of an Oberlin education
“Oberlin was not simply a 4-year stopping point, but has been and continues to be an essential part of my journey. It taught me to be ever vigilant in seeking social justice, curious, caring, open to...
Elizabeth Taylor Quilliam ’74
![Lauren by a bronze sculpture of a wolf suckling two human infants](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/lauren_clark_11.jpg?itok=7J9QRuyF)
On the integration of classics in her life
“I’ve found beauty and strength in recognizing temporality, which has brought me to understand translation across language and temporal boundaries as a positive and connective process.”
Lauren Clark ’11