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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![Ben reading at a library table](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/ben_klebanoff_09.jpg?itok=ukh3K-DN)
On Oberlin’s Student Senate
“Students take active roles in all levels of the Oberlin administration, help determine the courses that are available for students to take, and help make hiring decisions.”
Ben Klebanoff ’09
![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
![Group of dancers in a dance studio](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/jennifer_jimenez_17.jpg?itok=7o4lTguo)
On joining Latin dance group Movimiento
“Walking into rehearsal every Thursday and Sunday night, I am greeted with hugs and kisses and an energy that is as vibrant as the salsas and merengues we dance to.”
Jennifer Jimenez ’17
![Four people peek over a snowbank](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/chantal_desomer_09.jpg?itok=xzeWLp2-)
On writing a novel
“I was afraid I would not be able to finish the novel by the end of the semester, but I did it. It is not polished, but it is a complete story. Coming to Oberlin and taking creative writing classes...
Chantal de Somer ’09
![Stewart plays an unusual, curled horn.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/stewart_edelstein_70.jpg?itok=9HrAUGsq)
On his education here
“Oberlin presented such a rich environment for multifaceted self-discovery that my college experience instilled in me the awareness that exploration in multiple and divergent directions is the path...
Stewart Edelstein ’70
![Two student cooks prepare vegetables in large quantities.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/natali_terreri_15.jpg?itok=UPdhMTgy)
On joining Old B as a new student
“While for my own sake I’d like to think my Old B community is special, I don’t think it is uncommon - this is ultimately what makes Oberlin so great. These communities are everywhere.”
Natali Terreri ’14
![A row of bassoonists performs under a banner with Chinese characters](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/joycelyn_eby_09.jpg?itok=nNn1omTE)
On organizing a Bassoon Quartet tour of China
“As someone who was reluctant to go to college “in the middle of a bunch of cornfields,” I now can’t imagine having gone anywhere else for school ... no other institution would be so supportive of my...
Joycelyn Eby ’09
![Four people laughing](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/corina_bardoff_07.jpg?itok=KtvsSq6o)
On the improv scene at Oberlin
“[It] is so accepting and completely full of fantastically talented and inventive people who want nothing more than to “yes” what you give them.”
Corina Bardoff ’07
![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
![Woman wearing headphones and microphone on a production set.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/paula_gordon_68.jpg?itok=rsegP_AE)
On her first job in television
“Was I qualified? Well … if a passion for democracy, a work ethic honed by four wonderfully challenging years at Oberlin, and a hunger to succeed counted - and we could skip the part about what he...
Paula Gordon ’68
![Five people in hooded sweatshirts form a circle and join their hands at the center](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/eint_kyi_16.jpg?itok=edbB2h8D)
On a second home
“In addition to the rewarding experiences I’ve gotten from my service sites, over the past two years, the little house known as the Bonner Center became my go-to place.”
Eint Kyi ’16