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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![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
![Members of the co-op pose holding bike parts.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/sophie_newman_17.jpg?itok=SzH9UFaV)
On practicing problem solving
“It wasn’t until I joined the Oberlin Bike Co-op that I realized just how satisfying finding an answer can be.”
Sophie Newman ’17
![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
![Her identity concealed by a cardboard box over her head, a woman runs in the grass, her cape flapping behind her.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/miriam_rothenberg_12.jpg?itok=QsjWaVcw)
On living in Sci-Fi Hall
“They were friendly, loud, crazy, and nerdy. Furthermore, they were welcoming, encouraging me to participate despite my complete lack of knowledge of the linguistic origins of Tolkien’s Elvish...
Miriam Rothenberg ’12
![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
![Thanisa plays piano on stage.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/thanisa_durongkaveroj_18.jpg?itok=wMAlLw_J)
On the connections between college and the future
“I start to see my college experience as part of my overall life experience; classes become more applicable, and I become more competent to enter the professional world.”
Thanisa Durongkaveroj ’18
![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
![Noah has green scales painted on his face.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/noah_morris_12.jpg?itok=vW3PSGTS)
On meeting neighbors
“I heard several shouts of “Come in!” and someone opened the door slightly. I’d braced myself for a lot of possibilities, but what I found still surprised me. As I entered, I found myself in a full-...
Noah Morris ’12
![Eleanor in front of a building with a tall clock tower](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/eleanor_van_buren_17.jpg?itok=p_XXbKiH)
On solidifying cross-generational friendships
“From the first reply I received from Francine Schutzman ’67, I knew we were on to something.”
Eleanor Van Buren ’17
![College student volunteers and elementary-age students all wear matching SITES tee-shirts.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/kim_faber.jpg?itok=RB2DnfER)
On Oberlin’s SITES program
“What began as one mom’s hope to have a language program for her 5-year old son is now providing the opportunity for every elementary-school child in Oberlin to experience another language.”
Prof. Kim Faber
![Allison plays her violin by a stone and concrete staircase](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/allison_lint_09.jpg?itok=lYuGAIRu)
On founding Violin for Vasculitis
“I am more often labeled an “activist” than a “touring violin virtuoso,” [but] that doesn’t alter my goal. I am musically fulfilled through this project more than I ever could be as a healthy...
Allison Lint ’09
![Kelsey aims a ballpoint pen at an off-screen target](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/kelsey_atkinson_12.jpg?itok=_ALYjZaH)
On the Slam Poetry ExCo
“I was thrilled that I found an ExCo that so closely suited my interests and motivated me to keep writing, revising, and sharing my poems.”
Kelsey Atkinson ’12