Ilana McNamara ’24

I feel like it’s the most important thing that I’ve worked on during my time at college.

I spent my Winter Term in Indonesia and the Philippines learning about the musical cultures of both countries, meeting incredible people, and maybe even learning something about myself along the way.

This December, I had the honor of being invited to perform with the Oberlin Orchestra for the United Nations General Assembly at Carnegie Hall.

Something that I’ve learned in my time at Oberlin is how to really be comfortable being alone.

The Oberlin College Outings Club provided us with everything we needed for a great backpacking trip!

We have the best bagels here. Hands down.

There are usually too many events to go to in just one weekend at Oberlin.

A gorgeous dorm with incredible people that is actually a haunted Victorian mansion.

What life is really like in my home state.

Our challenge was to learn and perform Claude Debussy’s String Quartet, which is a pretty daunting undertaking.

This story is for the students who aren’t sure whether they’ll fit in.

It was so much fun to show my mom around.

There were many things I didn’t expect about Oberlin.