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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![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
![Zoe strikes an acrobatic pose on the trapeze.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/zoe_beach_17.jpg?itok=cgyG3xbH)
On keeping a dream alive
“While I chose Oberlin for the strength and opportunities of its science programs, I was overjoyed to find that Oberlin not only had a circus, but it had the facilities and equipment for aerial work.”
Zoe Beach ’17
![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
![Three people, one wearing a lab coat](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/hidong_kim_87.jpg?itok=sbpaCljh)
On being a life-long learner
“The same crackling energy I felt at Oberlin when immersing myself in new learning I now feel in medical school... Once again, the academic rigor I acquired at Oberlin lights my path.”
Hidong Kim ’87
![Becca at the shore](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/becca_orleans_16.jpg?itok=kN82n37_)
On combining interests in creative writing and environmental studies
“In providing a text that shares experiences of running and strength in running, I hope that this collection helps women feel more empowered to openly move throughout the environment.”
Becca Orleans ’16
![Sarah relaxes in a 'womb chair.'](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/sarah_minion_17.jpg?itok=1s5KMgHi)
On the haven that is a college library
“Since that fateful phone call during my first year it has become second nature to, when in doubt, go to Mudd.”
Sarah Minion ’17
![Megan's elegant dessert has a lit candle at the center.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/megan_cox_18.jpg?itok=Q0TWZWx4)
On a poignant winter term project
“The lessons I learned and the experiences I added to my cache in life have yet to fully reveal their meaning to me; I know, however, that these lessons will continue to guide me throughout the rest...
Megan Cox ’18
![Young man in a crowd wearing a boutonnière on his suit jacket](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/jaremy_rich_07.jpg?itok=OEL0bAfV)
On defining Oberlin
“There are thousands of attributes, numbers and statistics that you could chime off that make Oberlin marginally better or worse than any given institution...what the Princeton Review or the US News...
Jaremy Rich ’07