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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![A disc jockey spins a record](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/joshua_davidson_12.jpg?itok=R67S20hh)
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
![Group of volunteers in jumpsuits and protective gear](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/colin_jones_08.jpg?itok=q_cc8Hqx)
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
![Group of people riding in the back of a pickup truck.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/toussaint_mears-clarke_09.jpg?itok=hHTL_T7r)
On academics at Oberlin
“Understanding the subject matter of any class at Oberlin is an undertaking that requires a deliberate purpose of mind. Professors bring you to understand a subject without ever just giving you the...
Toussaint Mears-Clarke ’09
![A professor handles a test tube while Olivia looks on.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/olivia_winter_08.jpg?itok=i69N-s7I)
On being a researcher
“I am excited about asking questions, picking apart ideas, and proposing new ways of thinking about problems. I obsess over the details of study designs and execution, all the while striving to be...
Olivia Winter ’08
![A grade school class learns about a sculpture at a museum](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/dessane_cassell_14.jpg?itok=mbwDbSnD)
On a change in perspective
“The distinction between my vantage point and that of the students had yielded entirely different interpretations of the work without us even realizing it.”
Dessane Cassell ’14
![Two women handle a spool](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/alia_kate_08.jpg?itok=ZMoXBXm0)
On her new rug-importing venture, Kantara Crafts
“I have just returned from Morocco with my first batch of rugs and the excitement is palpable; what started with my desire to make a difference on a local level two years ago has now turned into a...
Alia Kate ’08
![R. Jon MacDonald](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/r_jon_macdonald_03.jpg?itok=t9B6I5X7)
On entrepreneurship
“The flexibility and desire to allow students to do what they believe is best for them has paid off in more ways than I can count and led to lifelong entrepreneur endeavors.”
R. Jon MacDonald ’03
![Kim wears a chicken hat with mock seriousness](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/kym_buzdygon_07.jpg?itok=bdaAIJLo)
On starting the Free Store
“I am so grateful to have been at a place where ideas like the Free Store... are so well-received and supported. Oberlin is really a great place to have initiative on any scale.”
Kym Buzdygon ’07
![Evan beside a video monitor showing environmental data](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/evan_tincknell_14.jpg?itok=M3GDSste)
On joining the Great Lakes Research family
“It’s incredible to be engaging with people from whom I am constantly learning, and to be taking academic courses that seem so relevant to my work and the world in general.”
Evan Tincknell ’14
![Anita with a group of young women in Mongolia](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/anita_fahrni_65.jpg?itok=6hwi2r8p)
On changing the world, one book at a time
“After returning, I started to collect, sort and send books. Within 10 years, over 220,000 books would find their way from my garage to libraries throughout Mongolia!”
Anita Fahrni ’65
![Women in colorful skirts dance in the quad.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/rose_wesche_12.jpg?itok=CYthzri0)
On living in a program house
“I can’t wait to return to Asia House in the fall. I believe that program houses offer a concentrated version of Oberlin-- fellowship, community, and learning all packed together into single...
Rose Wesche ’12
![Group of students, several holding signs that say Vote 2010](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/lyz_glickman_13.jpg?itok=vUxL9iwE)
On OC Dems
“it is a collaborative organization that seeks to educate students and community members and promote political action, no matter which side of the aisle a person happens to fall in.”
Lyz Glickman ’13