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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![Michael, with city lights and a blurred taxi in the background.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/michael_vito_04.jpg?itok=DXCUTaRu)
On skills learned in the Conservatory
“In [performance], we must take all of the experience and ability we have attained through our own development and integrate it with that of others... an exercise in fluid, nonhierarchical leadership...
Michael Vito ’04
![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
![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
![Sze Foong](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/sze_foong_99.jpg?itok=uRYiG1go)
On studying in London with David Walker
“Threading it all together were the conversations gently led by David about and around these plays, supplemented by talk of poems, novels, museum visits, and films, and from these emerged the...
Sze Foong ’99
![An orchestra on stage under a banner with Chinese characters and '2006 New Year Concert'.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/nicolee_kuester_10.jpg?itok=vJ23Lzs4)
On the Oberlin Orchestra China Tour
“... in spite of the stress and discomfort, my memories of the tour are overwhelmingly dominated by those moments of recognition that we experience only when we travel, the overriding reminders of...
Nicolee Kuester ’10
![Group of 16 people, most in matching tee shirts](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/dan_barella_15.jpg?itok=L9Jlcdpo)
On the connections between Capoeira and social rights activism
“The conversation starts with you. You can’t sit around waiting for someone else to start it for you.”
Dan Barella ’15
![Group of students seated on a staircase](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/abbas_mohsin_13.jpg?itok=51Kf3mws)
On being a part of the Student Finance Committee
“Oberlin retains a special place in my heart because of the people, and being part of the student organization at the core of student life on campus helped me cultivate those friendships.”
Abbas Mohsin ’13
![P.J. Carter](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/pj_carter_09.jpg?itok=V3kZdEV1)
On organizing a mentoring program in Lorain, OH
“The culture of Oberlin encourages students to get deeply involved in what they are passionate about and to make a difference.”
PJ Carter ’09
![Karen seated at a harpsichord](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/karen_flint_64.jpg?itok=UyyQq1XH)
In summarizing her many Oberlin memories
“There is so much to do and learn at Oberlin... if you are admitted, choose Oberlin; when there, take as many different courses as you can, meet as many people as possible.”
Karen Gebhart Flint ’64
![Ellen and friends on the walkway of an urban bridge](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/ellen_drake_15.jpg?itok=lS4VodcR)
On trying new things
“My whole life I have opposed most forms of personal change with all of my being...Much to my surprise, I felt my anxiety start to abate within hours of being on campus.”
Ellen Drake ’15
![Zoe strikes an acrobatic pose on the trapeze.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/zoe_beach_17.jpg?itok=cgyG3xbH)
On keeping a dream alive
“While I chose Oberlin for the strength and opportunities of its science programs, I was overjoyed to find that Oberlin not only had a circus, but it had the facilities and equipment for aerial work.”
Zoe Beach ’17
![YouTube screenshot with title Copacabana (Bathroom Concert Series Entry), showing 4 people in a bathroom](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/amanda_nichols_12.jpg?itok=OQHWqTuY)
On making a video for an Ellen DeGeneres Show contest
“I had only known these people for a couple of months, and I was not only asking them to dance and sing in a public place, but I was also potentially asking them to do it on national television (if...
Amanda Nichols ’12