Universal Languages

Anderson grew up in “a pretty musical household” in Emporia, Kansas. He began taking piano lessons at an early age and went on to learn the violin. For a while, he considered life as an opera singer. When it came time to apply for college, he was interested in studying at a conservatory, but also wanted to attend a school that was academically strong. For him, Oberlin was the perfect fit.

“Oberlin’s Double Degree Program was definitely what drew me in,” he says. “I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to study in the college coming in, so I landed on the English major, which was also one of the best gifts of Oberlin.”

Anderson sees a connection between his chosen majors. Without even realizing it, he invokes musical references when talking about his English major (“Texts are a great instrument for learning about life generally,” he says at one point). He even conjoined them for his English honors thesis: a musical literary analysis on opera, which focused on the art form’s text.

Outside of his coursework, Anderson was involved with the Japanese Student Association, which celebrates traditional and contemporary Japanese culture through events held throughout the school year. Early on, he also worked with Ballet Oberlin in a musical capacity and contributed to the student newspaper the Oberlin Review as well as the student-run literary publication Wilder Voice.

Anderson admits that Oberlin’s close-knit campus community—roughly 2,900 students pursuing studies across the college and conservatory—was a surprise at first. In time, that very dynamic became a highlight of his experience here. “By the end, it’s really nice, because you can’t get too wrapped up in your own world,” he says. “You run into people so you’re pulled back into the community. That’s a really valuable experience I had at Oberlin.”

Founded in 1898 and affiliated with Princeton University, Princeton in Asia is dedicated to promoting appreciation and cross-cultural understanding between the U.S. and Asia.