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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![Mack walks along a city street.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/mack_gelber_10.jpg?itok=cvW9wEYx)
On exploring the radically shifting publishing world
“This is the chief thrill of interning at a literary agency. You never know if the next manuscript in the stack is going to be a dud or the potential classic of our time.”
Mack Gelber ’10
![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
![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
![A team of runners arm in arm.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/sarel_loewus_16.jpg?itok=lqsr1oEf)
On finding balance
“What I didn’t realize at the time was that it is possible to have multiple priorities, and I could put my full effort into each of them.”
Sarel Loewus ’16
![Megan works in a lush vineyard.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/megan_schulte_94.jpg?itok=BXl7FVb1)
On her time at Oberlin
“Graduating was like ripping off my right arm. But it was Oberlin that bolstered me and created a foundation from which I could truly plunge into the world of the possible.”
Megan Schulte ’94
![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
![A group of friends, all smiling](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/chetan_poudel_14.jpg?itok=GdeyFc0N)
On being an international student at Oberlin
“The international student orientation days always come to mind as serving as the springboard that launched me headfirst into the charms of Oberlin’s diverse and global connections.”
Chetan Poudel ’14
![Stewart's Oberlin College ID card, expiration date June 1974. Stewart has very long hair.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/stewart_kohl_77.jpg?itok=MTxF-32n)
On the ethos of Oberlin
“What made Oberlin outstanding then is still its magic - the students who want to learn, the faculty who want to teach, and the intense tradition of intellectual curiosity.”
Stewart Kohl ’77
![Nathan Heidelberger and Helmut Lachenmann](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/nathan_heidelberger_10.jpg?itok=1eODHj9x)
On working with composer Helmut Lachenmann
“Working with him was an opportunity of a lifetime, and I don’t think it could have happened anywhere else, at least not for a non-pianist like me.”
Nathan Heidelberger ’10
![Group of students on the steps of a house](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/dagmawi_gebreselasse_14.jpg?itok=wfK0aiKK)
On embracing independence
“Since coming to Oberlin, I have been fully responsible for my life and making important life decisions...I have started listening to myself and following my own path.”
Dagmawi Gebreselasse ’14
![A woman shows the front cover of The Synapse magazine.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/veronica_burnham_14.jpg?itok=-q139Rza)
On the creation of Synapse
“With these two “I want to do!” and “I can do!” revelations, I was set on it - I would create a magazine for science.”
Veronica Burnham ’14
![A mysterious man in sunglasses grabs a notebook held by another.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/aaron_mucciolo_02.jpg?itok=M2QMK7gR)
On ObieGame
“Five years ago two Obies created a game. Showing great wit, they named it ObieGame. Beyond this, facts are amorphous at best.”
Aaron Mucciolo ’02