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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On teammates becoming family
Galen Brennan ’17
“In our most important game of the year, I stepped on the field for only the second time that year, a moment that made me realize how important the team had become for me. ”
On his roommate, Mike Loll, during their first pre-season
Greg Mangan ’09
“He knew all the plays. He knew where to be at all times. He moved effortlessly through the logjam of the field. He was a natural.”
On training
John Shaw ’07
“With the curtain obscuring most of the fieldhouse from view, the track became a tunnel that my distance mates and I would fly around countless times at every imaginable speed and level of (dis)...
On progress toward gender equality
Leanne Wagner ’76
“Watching my daughter ... study with many more than one woman professor in the sciences, and not be constrained in her choices of what was to come after Oberlin, I realize that the Oberlin tradition...
On being part of a team
Luke Herrine ’10
“I heard a knock on my door. I opened it to find every single Horsecow who had come out to practice that day staring back at me. The Flying Horsecows [make] everybody love to play Ultimate, even when...
On finding friends on the field hockey team
Aditi Banerjee ’17
“A camaraderie developed—probably born out of undergoing the rigors of preseason together—which blossomed into close friendships over the course of the season.”
On her first day of practice with the women’s rugby team
Marne Litfin ’07
“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.”
On being a part of the Oberlin College men’s soccer team
Alen Cisija ’12
“We call it OC Love. We don’t play for ourselves, we play for each other. I am honored to stand side by side with every one of those guys.”
On the universal language on soccer
Max Hovey ’13
“Intramural soccer has given me a new knowledge base... I’d be lying if I said that my current appreciation for soccer hadn’t solidified my choice of pursuing Hispanic studies at Oberlin.”
On discovering intramural sports at Oberlin
Ashley Docherty ’13
“At Oberlin, I expected to just exercise my mind; playing intramural basketball gave me a chance to get moving and be a part of a team.”
On the freedom to be herself
Meghan Schott ’06
“At Oberlin, for the first time I was able to venture well outside-the-box without criticism. For Halloween, the soccer staff allowed the players to dress up for practice ... [and I] decided to be a...
On being one of the first female runners
Carla White Freyvogel ’79
“Running became a political statement for me... while other women made statements in class, delivering heart-pounding lectures, papers, and demonstrations, I put on my shoes and ran with the men.”