Oberlin Stories Project
On her Winter Term in a Belgian refugee center
“As cultural and linguistic barriers melted away, each one of us was able to make valuable friendships with the staff and residents of this center that had opened its arms to us and welcomed any new...
Katie Hart ’11
On her first home volleyball game at Oberlin
“It had been my dream to play college volleyball since I can remember and as I stood star struck looking up at the flag, I could not help but smile and realize that I had done it. I was living the...
Elizabeth Wong ’12
On the Oberlin College Dialogue Center
“We handle conflict through a social justice lens, which means acknowledging that differences in power and privilege inherently affect human interaction.”
Amanda Medress ’09
On founding Oberlin Songwriters
“In just a few weeks I met a number of students and community members who shared my passion for songwriting.”
Rob Jamner ’17
On playing Poppea
“It’s still hard to believe that as a lowly undergrad, I got the chance to play Poppea - opera’s earliest gold digger - and find the music that truly fits my voice.”
Lillie Chilen ’08
On the genesis of a company
“[My roommate] had a crazy idea: working for yourself and starting a company is way more creative and fulfilling than working at a preexisting company, and here we are six months after graduation [...
George Saines ’08
On finding a personal space
“Establishing meaningful relationships with supportive professors through hard work and dedication is the most important thing you can do as a new student.”
Arianna Gil ’16
On learning to stop worrying and love economics
“We found ourselves struggling to fit tough questions into broad, vast subjects focused on a more traditional perspective... so we decided to create that space ourselves.”
San Maday Travis ’11
On musical training and non-musical careers
“I hadn’t been in law enforcement for long before I realized that many of the same characteristics of police work are similar to playing in a jazz group.”
Matt Rivers ’04
Contributed by Prof. Laurie McMillin
“Jabali left Oberlin in 2000 with a degree in Biology and no set plans. But he knew he wanted to teach... At the age of 27, he became the principal of Excellence Charter School in Bedford Stuyvesant...
Jabali Sawicki ’00
On language as a gateway
“I am still a little surprised that a job as a translator of standardized test instructions ended up teaching me about Ohio history, but, then again, my experiences with Chinese at Oberlin have...
Brendan Nuse ’17
On becoming herself
“Oberlin gave me the push that I needed to pursue my goals, to see myself as an actor in the world rather than a mere collector of personae.”
Sophia Bamert ’13