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
![Jules tries to balance on a log over a stream](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/jules_brouillet_10.jpg?itok=joRrUquE)
On the things to do at Oberlin
“There are enough great organizations, activities, events and concerts here that it is impossible for one student to do everything or even half of everything. The hardest decision that many students...
Jules Brouillet ’10
![Noel playing lacrosse.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/noel_myers_14.jpg?itok=6yNEfxn1)
On the opportunity to study in Brazil
“This internship made me realize how alternative energy and clean water can improve the health of community members and that it is fundamental to their economic development.”
Noel Myers ’14
![A violinist rehearses](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/crystal_sheffield_12.jpg?itok=jcO98kmH)
On visiting Oberlin
“As I planned my schedule of classes to visit, I found myself tempted by the different departments listed and the variety of classes offered. I barely had time to fit in a conservatory class because...
Crystal Sheffield ’12
![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 cellist practices with the score laid out on the floor.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/lewis_nielson.jpg?itok=u8ZC2rLx)
On Oberlin’s composition students
“It’s routine for me to be told by our guests that our students are the best they encounter anywhere in the world, not just for the quality of the works they display but also for the incisiveness of...
Prof. Lewis Nielson
![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
![Kelpler with Prof. Whelan outside The Local coffee shop](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/story_350/public/content/story/image/kepler_mears_17.jpg?itok=VZ0JPRYd)
On mouthing off in public
“If I hadn’t said it and it hadn’t been heard, I’m not sure I would have met Professor Whelan in the way I did or formed a friendship with her.”
Kepler Mears ’17
![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