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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![Maddy with the other Business Scholars.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/maddy_dunn_16.jpg?itok=XBxxOC4q)
On lessons learned during the Business Scholars program
“If I stayed true to myself and focused on my strengths, I could make my own version of business.”
Maddy Dunn ’16
![Students in small group discussions](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/hope_rehak_11.jpg?itok=-H4nJAZ8)
On being part of the Posse scholarship program
“The other students who received a Posse scholarship to go to Oberlin that year were incredible leaders in their communities; I was proud to be included alongside them.”
Hope Rehak ’11
![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
![Sean reads with the 'Reading Girl' statue in the library.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/sean_nagamatsu_07.jpg?itok=Zv5g-rlI)
On learning to be a writing tutor
“It was not simply a course in how one tutors. It was an exploration of writing as a catalytic form of expression and interaction. It was the complete taking apart of how I put together words and...
Sean Nagamatsu ’07
![A group of friends playing in a pile of leaves.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/melanie_malinas_13.jpg?itok=bG1Gn7In)
On adjusting to Oberlin
“Somebody suggested building a leaf pile in North Quad, because it was one of those crisp, fall days where you simply need to be outside playing with leaves rather than inside working on a paper.”
Melanie Malinas ’13
![Jessica stands near a medieval turret which is flying flags of Spain and the EU](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/jessica_depaz_14.jpg?itok=S-hnypRm)
On studying abroad
“I embraced that experience because it helped me learn a lot more about myself. I found my voice, my interest in learning different languages, and my interest in teaching.”
Jessica DePaz ’14
![Five people on a marble structure](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/charlotte_landes_13.jpg?itok=ufciTnBw)
On making new friends on a service trip
“Everyone was open to each experience we encountered, greeting each inevitable trial with a smile, a shrug, and a “we’ll figure it out.””
Charlotte Landes ’13
![Sue holds her diploma in one hand and her son's hand in the other.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/sue_angell_99.jpg?itok=KN-7aS0s)
On being a non-traditional student
“I came to Oberlin in 1995, as a 22 year-old transfer student and the mother of a two year-old boy... determined to get the type of education that would help me raise my son as a single mom.”
Sue Angell ’99
![Two students cook food on a large stove.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/neal_schindler_01.jpg?itok=JiHK8uSj)
On cooking in a co-op
“I credit my co-op experience with teaching me how to be creative in a pinch, and to make the most of limited resources, not only in the kitchen but in life as a whole.”
Neal Schindler ’01
![A young woman is seated atop a stone monument engraved with 'Beckett'](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/judy_karasik_75.jpg?itok=z539ggM6)
On the way we treat writing at Oberlin
“I was so deeply engaged and tangled up in writing as a living, morphing entity, that when I got to graduate school I couldn’t tolerate the aridness of what passed there at the time for intellectual...
Judy Karasik ’75
![Volunteers paint a wall](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/cria_kay_16.jpg?itok=ePrNR6Lw)
On getting to New Orleans
“Navigating time commitments and cost restraints, I was surprised by how many opportunities appeared in front of me.”
Cria Kay ’16
![People at a party with streamers and balloons.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/vicky_costikyan_14.jpg?itok=DJjt5dTP)
On the community of Sci-Fi Hall
“I felt at home with the people around me, and I developed a confidence in myself that I had never experienced before.”
Vicky Costikyan ’14