Oberlin Stories Project
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
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
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
On her first day of practice with the women’s rugby team
“These were, I realized while I stood apart from them, the strongest and craziest women I had ever met. I had to be one of them. I didn’t know if I had it in me, but I couldn’t leave without trying.”
Marne Litfin ’07
On being an art history major
“Thirteen years later, as a freshman in college, I found the perfect outlet for my misguided artistic endeavors: art history.”
Georgia Horn ’12
On Oberlin’s student-run circus
“Circus stood for the things I valued: inclusion, family, daring, theatre without drama, strength, flexibility, clumsiness, music, love. If anyone asked me what I cared about, circus would be one of...
Aries Indenbaum ’09
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
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
On starting the One Song Dance Parties in Mudd
“It answered the rarely asked question: why shouldn’t stress reduction and (albeit short) physical activity be fun, promoted, and in an academic space?”
Jackie Mostow ’12
On learning beyond one’s major
“I think it is a uniquely Oberlin phenomenon that introductory courses are every bit as interesting and rigorous as upper level courses, and it was this strength that encouraged me to diversify my...
Brendan Veeneman ’07
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
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