Oberlin Stories Project
On Oberlin’s terrific teachers
“When I graduated from high school, I thought the days of personal relationships with teachers who cared about me were over. Well, I’ve only been wrong once in the past 20 years, and that was it.”
Jacob Lamoureux ’12
On the Oberlin Catholic community
“I discovered that it was exactly the type of diverse community I was looking for. People of all religious stripes were there: converts, lifelong devotees, Anglicans, and even spiritual hobos such as...
Shane MacDonald ’08
On choosing an Oberlin path
“My Oberlin career, like many, has been far from linear, and I am glad that I have strayed from my plan. A planner at heart, changing gears, changing life goals, was a rocky and emotional process,...
Brenna Larson ’14
On friendship
“...it’s not just about tenuous links with some people you eat lunch with at school and sometimes see on weekends. It’s about strong relationships with people who actually care and support you...
Melissa Atlas ’13
On birthday celebrations
“Had my roommate known that I had secretly always wanted to do a scavenger hunt for my birthday ever since my older sister had one when I was 8? Probably not.”
Jocie Sobieraj ’15
On learning to teach literacy
“I had answered a call for volunteer tutors in a night school created by a gentleman who was born a slave. Literate, he wanted to help folks from the South who had come north for jobs in Ohio and...
Susan Cowan Knebel ’60
On making new friends
“Our relationship began with laughter and silliness, and Kelin has been my dorky big sister away from home ever since.”
Christopher Ayoub ’15
On the ExCo Program
“What other place allows any undergrad student with a decent idea to create and teach their own course?”
Netta Rappaport ’12
On writing Nicaraguan women’s history
“I became a feminist and started to focus on an overarching question that would absorb much of my time over the next two decades: why assume that only white women fought back against sexism before...
Victoria González-Rivera ’90
On organizing a conference his senior year
“[it was] an event whose legacy affects others and permeates the thought processes, ideals and actions of students who continue to advocate for Ethnic Studies, equality and social justice on campus...
Daniel Domaguin ’06
On studying away
“I’m very passionate about exploring the world because I believe experiencing many different cultures is integral to developing a wider understanding, as well as a deeper connection to one’s self.”
Peter Nguyen ’16
On being a biology tutor
“I like... seeing students become comfortable with the material so that they can enjoy it instead of just seeing the class as a source of stress.”
Abigail Lofchie ’12