Thorin Finch ’26 earns Fulbright Study/Research Award to Ireland

Thorin Finch ’26 has earned a Fulbright study/research award to Ireland. The creative writing major from Mercer Island, Washington, will spend the 2026-27 academic year studying ethnology and folklore at University College Dublin.

As part of these studies, Finch will be designing an original roleplaying game inspired by Irish oral storytelling traditions and folklore.

“The opportunity to immerse myself in Ireland’s folklore and narrative traditions will allow me to develop my skills as a storyteller, writer, and game designer while connecting with other likeminded storytellers,” they say. “If there’s one thing I learned at Oberlin, it’s the power of a creative community—and I intend to carry that knowledge forward to my Fulbright and beyond.”

Finch is one of five Oberlin alums to receive a Fulbright study/research award during this fellowship cycle. Overall, 16 Obies were awarded Fulbrights for the upcoming academic year. Oberlin is a perennial leader among undergraduate institutions in Fulbright honorees. In fact, the Fulbright Program has named Oberlin College and Conservatory a Top Producer of Fulbright students for 17 years in a row as of the 2025-2026 academic year.

What are you looking forward to the most with your Fulbright? 
As an avid reader of folklore and historical fantasy, I am most excited about the opportunity to explore Ireland’s wealth of folk and faerie tales through the National Folklore Archive. 

Does this research you’ll be doing build on Oberlin research you’ve done? If so, in what ways?
As a creative writing major and longtime player of tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs), this project builds on both my academic studies of narratives and storytelling and also my experiences with collaborative narrative communities at the workshop table and the gaming table. I plan to continue fostering connections with these communities in Ireland as the next step on my journey as a storyteller.

How did Oberlin shape or influence you to pursue the Fulbright? 
The seed of inspiration for my Fulbright project was planted during my second year at Oberlin, when I took The Faerie Tale, an intermediate creative writing course taught by former professor Kyle McCarthy. 

Analyzing the structure and conventions of faerie tales gave me a new appreciation for the depth and artistry that such stories display, and inspired me to introduce elements of faerie tale narrative voice and logic into my own writing. 

Without the door to the literary world of folklore being opened to me, I would never have realized how valuable it is to storytellers in this day and age, nor pursued the opportunity to participate in and learn from the oral storytelling traditions that preserved it.

What’s the best advice you’ve received from your Oberlin faculty mentor? 
Many Oberlin professors have passed on tidbits of wisdom to me, but the one that remains foremost in my mind is from professor McCarthy again, which was that college teaches you how to learn and study, but you have to learn to live in the world too, and the only way to do that is to go out and live in it!

Oberlin is a perennial leader among undergraduate institutions in Fulbright honorees. The Fulbright Program has named Oberlin College and Conservatory a Top Producer of Fulbright students for 17 years in a row as of the 2025-2026 academic year. Contact Fellowships and Awards for more information.