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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![Two football players in the 1980s wearing numbers 64 and 67](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/dore_kiesselbach_88.jpg?itok=CqcxYpgy)
On his poem about football at Oberlin
“The moment of revelatory tenderness I try to capture in this poem, exposed as it was by this rough game, meant as much to me as anything else I experienced as a student and remains very poignant to...
Dore Kiesselbach ’88
![Professor Faber addresses a group.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/sebastiaan_faber.jpg?itok=iReq7_81)
On an Oberlin education
“One of the most important things you will learn here is to express yourself, to engage in dialogue, to respect others’ ideas, and to allow them to change your own. ”
Prof. Sebastiaan Faber
![Steel drum band performing outdoors](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/alicia_dudziak_13.jpg?itok=qVouuFu8)
On joining OSteel
“I loved that I began to feel like a good musician even though my musical experience had been limited since age 10, when I quit piano.”
Alicia Dudziak ’13
![The Obertones rehearsing](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/kevin_hu_11.jpg?itok=AXFVfJP3)
On singing with the Obertones
“But as I would realize, this love was a postulate of the Obertones; something so obvious it needed no proof through audible declaration. Everyone in the Obertones loves to sing.”
Kevin Hu ’11
![Francesca hand out information while wearing a Day of Service 2008 tee shirt](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/francesca_minonne_08.jpg?itok=AYAV0hyH)
On her connection to the town of Oberlin
“I will take what I have learned with me: that academics and civic engagement can and should be combined, producing something far more enriching together than either alone.”
Francesca Minonne ’08
![Group of 18 students.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/rocio_leon_13.jpg?itok=01fKKbDA)
On being a Bonner Scholar
“Even though I am naturally shy and quiet, all the laughs, cheesy moments, and of course, all the Bonner Love... made me more comfortable to be myself and increased my confidence.”
Rocio Leon ’13
![Anna at a Chicago bus stop](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/anna_band_14.jpg?itok=t8N_ZZFM)
On supportive friendships
“Among the many things I’ve learned from my best friend is to be proactive about my life. You can’t just sit around and wait for opportunities to come to you - you have to take matters into your own...
Anna Band ’13
![A hand-drawn sign, Welcome to SEED House, Student Experiment in Ecological Design, established Fall 2007](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/lucas_brown_09.jpg?itok=X8DpaZkQ)
On SEED house
“Oberlin’s support network made our successes possible. SEED demanded skills like composting, caulking, persuading, public speaking, and econometric analysis, and for each skill we required, we found...
Lucas Brown ’09
![Holland holds a young boy in her arms](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/holland_hamilton_11.jpg?itok=VHYlpVrP)
On the “best kept secret in the Midwest”
“Before coming to Oberlin, I had sworn off theater completely. In fact, I was done with performing in general. But looking back, I have no clue how I thought I could have gotten away with choosing...
Holland Hamilton ’11
![Sarah prepares a lesson plan.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/sarah_fries_12.jpg?itok=Pqv44149)
On teaching the Planet Earth ExCo
“Most students at Oberlin are conscious of environmental pollution and the rapid depletion of resources. I wanted to tap into that awareness and help it manifest.”
Sarah Fries ’12
![A dozen people pose by an indoor brick wall](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/ben_newhouse_04.jpg?itok=rS574f2-)
On the lessons learned working for the Oberlin Review
“[I’ve taken] with me the grinding productivity, invention of necessity, and constant grace under constant pressure that I acquired down in Burton basement.”
Ben Newhouse ’04
![Maya reads sheet music while practicing on steel drums.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/maya_zeemont_16.jpg?itok=fmbHO7BT)
On finding a musical community
“The music, the dancing, the performers--all components of the show emanated pure joy. I hadn’t overlooked, however, that OSteel was quite advanced musically, so it never even crossed my mind that I...
Maya Zeemont ’16