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
On being a life-long learner
“The same crackling energy I felt at Oberlin when immersing myself in new learning I now feel in medical school... Once again, the academic rigor I acquired at Oberlin lights my path.”
Hidong Kim ’87
On the connections between college and the future
“I start to see my college experience as part of my overall life experience; classes become more applicable, and I become more competent to enter the professional world.”
Thanisa Durongkaveroj ’18
On combining interests in creative writing and environmental studies
“In providing a text that shares experiences of running and strength in running, I hope that this collection helps women feel more empowered to openly move throughout the environment.”
Becca Orleans ’16
On meeting neighbors
“I heard several shouts of “Come in!” and someone opened the door slightly. I’d braced myself for a lot of possibilities, but what I found still surprised me. As I entered, I found myself in a full-...
Noah Morris ’12
On defining Oberlin
“There are thousands of attributes, numbers and statistics that you could chime off that make Oberlin marginally better or worse than any given institution...what the Princeton Review or the US News...
Jaremy Rich ’07
On teaching at Oberlin
“I have initiated new synthetically-oriented research projects in my laboratory here, but I have also continued my work on organ pipe corrosion with students who have been attracted by research that...
Catherine Oertel ’99
On Oberlin’s SITES program
“What began as one mom’s hope to have a language program for her 5-year old son is now providing the opportunity for every elementary-school child in Oberlin to experience another language.”
Prof. Kim Faber
On starting an agency to help inner city Milwaukee residents eat fresh, local food
“Oberlin gave me the balanced education and multi-disciplinary vision that makes this work possible...I learned to be confident, curious, tenacious, generous, and inclusive.”
Young Kim ’85
On the Slam Poetry ExCo
“I was thrilled that I found an ExCo that so closely suited my interests and motivated me to keep writing, revising, and sharing my poems.”
Kelsey Atkinson ’12
On having a show on WOBC
“In my years of DJing, the station always felt like a tight ship, full of equally obsessive folks seeking out just the right record and wanting to share that ecstatic moment with the greater...
Joshua Davidson ’12
On volunteering in post-Katrina New Orleans
“The values of service, hard work, and solidarity in the pursuit of justice that were instilled by Oberlin pushed us forward.”
Colin Jones ’08
On things gained from his time here
“Oberlin taught me many things ... It allowed me to evolve, survive and thrive in ways I never could have imagined on that sunny afternoon thirty-five years ago flinging a Frisbee with Cousin Itt and...
Robert Frascino ’74