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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![Sam at the dinner table with his host family.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/sam_good_09.jpg?itok=4rQIurJm)
On studying abroad
“I have dozens of hilarious stories that encapsulate a year of cross-cultural misunderstandings with a group of genuinely caring people who went out of their way on an hourly basis to make sure I was...
Sam Good ’09
![Group of students stand together](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/arjuna_pettit_14.jpg?itok=8f_CI2Fx)
On pushing boundaries
“I still remember the sense of accomplishment that I felt after completing the final exam for Bio 100. I had conquered the beast.”
Arjuna Pettit ’14
![Maggie with a friend.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/maggie_killman_13.jpg?itok=xxFzsOWe)
On becoming a Latin major
“I realized how passionate everyone around me was about the exact same things ... they all shared the exact same joy I felt from studying such an obscure but wonderful language and culture.”
Maggie Killman ’13
![Jacob hugs a young panda](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/jacob_myers_12.jpg?itok=MNJdRPBe)
On Oberlin’s life preparations
“Oberlin’s crash course in cultural understanding gave me open eyes, open ears, and an open heart, and at the end of the year, that’s what helped me learn the most from my own experience.”
Jacob Myers ’12
![Shawn gives a piggyback ride to a friend.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/shawn_roggenkamp_08.jpg?itok=2FmpW9iI)
On bonding over Boredom, a semi-improvised drama
“My other friends couldn’t believe that we had Saturday night rehearsals, but the cast would have all spent Saturday nights together regardless.”
Shawn Roggenkamp ’08
![Brianna at Stonehenge](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/brianna_murray_18.jpg?itok=JmdHbA3g)
On the Music in London winter term project
“During this three week trip, I was able to experience life outside the United States for the first time as well as immerse myself in the musical culture of a vibrant city.”
Brianna Murray ’18
![Melissa with her graduating daughter.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/melissa_ballard.jpg?itok=6-cfKC2f)
On identifying with her students
“I know many of the students and some of their struggles, in part because their struggles were once my own... But I also know that as these graduates walked off that stage, they felt exultant.”
Melissa Ballard
![A group of students posing in a gym (wearing street clothes)](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/joelle_lingat_15.jpg?itok=R64_Yezd)
On discovering the Filipin@ community
“FASA made me embrace my endless need to be different. We’re all just a group of kids trying to figure out how we each can be extraordinary in this very complex world.”
Joelle Lingat ’15
![Susan in the 1970s.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/susan_troy_76.jpg?itok=q9k_hHNH)
On opportunity
“I showed up at a meeting with a vague notion that I might want to work as an intern on Capitol Hill. What I hadn’t expected was that a professor I barely knew, Paul Dawson, would place me with an up...
Susan Troy ’76
![Christopher at a table with letter stencils, papers, and markers](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/christopher_gollmar_10.jpg?itok=gBpcUtJ9)
On teaching experimental typography
“It’s esoteric, I guess, this interest of mine, but Oberlin is the kind of place where esoteric interests tend to flourish.”
Christopher Gollmar ’10
![Nicky and another runner share a laugh.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/nicky_ouellet_09.jpg?itok=doAqeAli)
On running and surviving senior year
“I outlined my thesis on thirteen-mile long runs. I wrote my application essays on bus rides to races. My experiences as a student-athlete influenced my proposal to study high-school athletics during...
Nicky Ouellet ’09
![Wearing an apron, Weelic holds up a bottle of siracha and a whisk.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/weelic_chong_15.jpg?itok=VMOvlIR6)
On OSCA tofu making
“I learned what tofu meant to me: steeped in tradition and innovation, tofu is where the new and old come full circle, a circle spanning generations, a circle catalyzed in Harkness’ kitchen.”
Weelic Chong ’15