How Oberlin’s CELA and STRONG Program Fuel Undergraduate Research

For Aisha Muradi ’26, Oberlin’s Center for Engaged Liberal Arts (CELA) has forged a path of exciting new directions, with each experience opening the door to the next.

Muradi entered Oberlin as a STRONG Scholar. The STRONG Scholars Program, run by Oberlin’s Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR), provides selected students with a specialized first-year experience that includes early research opportunities, close mentorship from STEM faculty and staff, and community-building events.

As a STRONG scholar, Muradi began working with Professor Adam Eck in his computer science research lab during her first-year winter term. There, she learned to see the field as more expansive than what can be contained in classroom assignments. Problem-solving, independent thinking, and asking the right questions proved invaluable in such an open-ended environment. “That early exposure shaped my understanding of research as something iterative and self-driven rather than something reserved for advanced students,” she says.

Muradi continued working in Eck’s lab the following summer with support from the Oberlin Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (OSURF) program, now known as the Oberlin Summer Research Institute Fellowship. As her research deepened and became more long-term, she gained confidence in her skills and developed a deeper appreciation for mentorship in undergraduate research.

Muradi’s growing independence also inspired her to apply for—and earn—a Projects for Peace fellowship. Her proposal involved creating an online platform to expand access to educational opportunities. “Designing and leading a project of this scale pushed me to think differently about responsibility, feasibility, and impact. It required budgeting, planning realistic milestones, coordinating communication across borders, and building something sustainable beyond the summer itself.”

Muradi later returned the favor of mentorship as an undergraduate research ambassador for OUR. In that role, she helped fellow Oberlin students embark on their own research paths. “Beyond helping individual students, the role allowed me to contribute to a culture where undergraduate research feels accessible, not intimidating.”

After graduating from Oberlin, Muradi looks forward to continuing to explore ways of learning and applying her skills. CELA has shown her the many ways learning beyond the classroom can extend one’s academic and personal values: “It is where curiosity turns into initiative, where ideas turn into projects, and where individual growth begins to connect with community impact.”

Muradi is a nominee for the CELA Award, recognizing outstanding engagement and achievement in connecting academic pursuits with experiential learning.