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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![Arianna playing electric bass on stage](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/arianna_gil_16.jpg?itok=Amamxqz3)
On finding a personal space
“Establishing meaningful relationships with supportive professors through hard work and dedication is the most important thing you can do as a new student.”
Arianna Gil ’16
![Maddy with the other Business Scholars.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/maddy_dunn_16.jpg?itok=XBxxOC4q)
On lessons learned during the Business Scholars program
“If I stayed true to myself and focused on my strengths, I could make my own version of business.”
Maddy Dunn ’16
![Wearing an audio headset, Jabali works with a couple of school-age boys](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/jabali_sawicki_00.jpg?itok=7UNTs13M)
Contributed by Prof. Laurie McMillin
“Jabali left Oberlin in 2000 with a degree in Biology and no set plans. But he knew he wanted to teach... At the age of 27, he became the principal of Excellence Charter School in Bedford Stuyvesant...
Jabali Sawicki ’00
![Sean is positioned at one section of a sprawling Gamelan. Many of the pieces resemble xylophones.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/sean_hanson_11.jpg?itok=1nGURUZd)
On learning to play the Gamelan
“...the difficulty helps me begin to lose my identity in the group and let me center myself. It’s become a way of life for me, and changed the way I view everything around me.”
Sean Hanson ’11
![Sean reads with the 'Reading Girl' statue in the library.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/sean_nagamatsu_07.jpg?itok=Zv5g-rlI)
On learning to be a writing tutor
“It was not simply a course in how one tutors. It was an exploration of writing as a catalytic form of expression and interaction. It was the complete taking apart of how I put together words and...
Sean Nagamatsu ’07
![Brendab holding a bat](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/brendan_veeneman_07.jpg?itok=d6hLuaUV)
On learning beyond one’s major
“I think it is a uniquely Oberlin phenomenon that introductory courses are every bit as interesting and rigorous as upper level courses, and it was this strength that encouraged me to diversify my...
Brendan Veeneman ’07
![A group of friends playing in a pile of leaves.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/melanie_malinas_13.jpg?itok=bG1Gn7In)
On adjusting to Oberlin
“Somebody suggested building a leaf pile in North Quad, because it was one of those crisp, fall days where you simply need to be outside playing with leaves rather than inside working on a paper.”
Melanie Malinas ’13
![An older man with a raised fist rides a bike through Memorial Arch](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/jim_sunshine_46.jpg?itok=bTEuAGlJ)
On getting to Oberlin and returning
“Once here, I never looked back. I went off to war, came back after three years, graduated in 1949, married a classmate in Fairchild Chapel, took up that career in journalism, and returned 56 years...
Jim Sunshine ’46
![Sue holds her diploma in one hand and her son's hand in the other.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/sue_angell_99.jpg?itok=KN-7aS0s)
On being a non-traditional student
“I came to Oberlin in 1995, as a 22 year-old transfer student and the mother of a two year-old boy... determined to get the type of education that would help me raise my son as a single mom.”
Sue Angell ’99
![A basketball player shoots the ball](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/christina_spencer_11.jpg?itok=awTyZRjR)
On injury
“For the past week, I’ve had to sit out from the Yeowomen’s Basketball team with a sprained ankle. Being unable to play or practice has only intensified my passion for this sport. Now, I crave...
Christina Spencer ’11
![Two students cook food on a large stove.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/neal_schindler_01.jpg?itok=JiHK8uSj)
On cooking in a co-op
“I credit my co-op experience with teaching me how to be creative in a pinch, and to make the most of limited resources, not only in the kitchen but in life as a whole.”
Neal Schindler ’01
![People at a party with streamers and balloons.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/vicky_costikyan_14.jpg?itok=DJjt5dTP)
On the community of Sci-Fi Hall
“I felt at home with the people around me, and I developed a confidence in myself that I had never experienced before.”
Vicky Costikyan ’14