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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![Amanda proudly shows a sapling she has planted.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/amanda-salmons_560x420.jpg?itok=Wk87zdY_)
On Tending the Learning Garden
I learned what grew where and when each species bloomed...I learned that actively engaging in nature, every day, is the best teacher of these things—better than any book or classroom could ever do...
Amanda Salmons ’23
![Harriet stands by a waterfall.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/harriet_mcsurdy_23.jpg?itok=uMBV-DMd)
On Promoting Youth Climate Action
‘‘Prior to attending Oberlin, I was unaware of the extent and impact of climate change. In the fall as a first-year, I was introduced to research in the environmental studies department and was...
Harriet McSurdy ’23
![A group poses with papier-mache dragon's head, vintage 1970s](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/asia-house-dragon.jpg?itok=XgbJesUq)
On the Asia House dragon
“It would have been tedious work except that it was ambitious, self-directed, and had nothing to do with classes or credits. What made it something to look forward to was the enjoyment of working...
Bill Heinrich ’81
![Victoria González-Rivera](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/victoria_gonzalez_rivera_90.jpg?itok=E6BJG5Ah)
On writing Nicaraguan women’s history
“I became a feminist and started to focus on an overarching question that would absorb much of my time over the next two decades: why assume that only white women fought back against sexism before...
Victoria González-Rivera ’90
![A protester holds a sign](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/aaron_appel_16.jpg?itok=IRgPKtwc)
On experiential learning
“What I chose to do while at The Philadelphia Center would have been inconceivable had I not spent the last two and a half years living in this small-town Ohio community.”
Aaron Appel ’16
![A group of people seated in a boat on a mountain lake.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/peter_nguyen_16.jpg?itok=s7YIM6qM)
On studying away
“I’m very passionate about exploring the world because I believe experiencing many different cultures is integral to developing a wider understanding, as well as a deeper connection to one’s self.”
Peter Nguyen ’16
![SciFi residents gather around a hoard of toy laser guns and light sabers spread out on a pool table](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/julie_lopresto_12.jpg?itok=dlt2fEMT)
On living on SciFi Hall
“...when I step out my door, there will be a friendly face around the corner. I’ve made some of the best friends I’ve ever had there, and have found what I’m proud to call my home at Oberlin.”
Julie Lopresto ’12
![Eliot and a friend](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/eliot_hart-nelson_15.jpg?itok=DW1SnjuD)
On clarity and falling down
“...In this moment I became aware of how much more comfortable with being alone I had become during my time at Oberlin.”
Eliot Hart-Nelson ’15
![Exterior of the Allen museum](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/ally_sterman_09.jpg?itok=5yZM0drA)
On being a docent in Oberlin’s world-class art museum
“I have been leading tours of the museum’s broad and overwhelmingly impressive collection for almost four years now, and the joy of engaging visitors in discussions concerning art has only...
Ally Sterman ’09
![Zoe and a dog on the front steps of a brick house.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/zoe_gould_14.jpg?itok=dETARWOj)
On becoming a writer
“This piece was not just a reflection of my own competency, like other formal essays had been; this was someone else’s story entirely.”
Zoe Gould ’14
![Rachel at a French canal.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/rachel_ippolito_13.jpg?itok=dcF-MU4c)
On studying abroad in France
“I was lost. But rather than moping around in disappointment, I decided to embrace the novelty of all that was around me.”
Rachel Ippolito ’13
![A college student reads to agroup of attentive preschoolers](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/leah_awkward-rich_17.jpg?itok=jOd70HxH)
On tutoring at Head Start
“I witnessed the kids I spent several hours a week with mature emotionally and personally, and I was given the opportunity to participate as they learned brand new concepts.”
Leah Awkward-Rich ’17