Oberlin Blogs

Karalyn Grimes ’16

Why, hello there! My name is Karalyn and I am originally from Michigan’s capital city of Lansing. In Oberlin, I call a lovely little red Village House home. I spend much of my time here at my 3rd floor Mudd carrel or by the AJLC pond.

I'm an environmental studies major with a pathway in environmental racism and classism. I'm primarily interested in how our current systems have failed to protect our people and our environment. My interest in trauma studies and sexualized violence overlap my academic major with indigenous scholarship quite often. I like discussions (academic and otherwise) where I am able to listen as much as I speak. I work to make my time here at Oberlin worthwhile in preparing me to be a better person in the world at large. What I'll be doing out in the great big world, well, I hope to work that out here as well.

Outside of the classroom you can find me putting in hours for OSCA as an Accessibility Committee Coordinator, volunteering at Oberlin Community Services, listening to slam poets, improving my average at the Oberlin College Lanes, choreographing in South Studio, pushing the college to make this institution more financially accessible for low(er)-income students like myself, and collaborating with my friends and chosen family. My goal for senior year of college is to take a step back and savor these last memories I have time to make in this place.

Entries from this blogger

From Obieland to Boston: Harvard Divinity's DivEx Program

November 30, 2016

I spent the first week of November in Boston, touring Harvard Divinity School as a Diversity & Explorations program participant, and attending the school's first Black Religion, Spirituality, & Culture Conference. But wait, this is the blog platform I write for Oberlin, where does Harvard come in? This is the story about how Oberlin got me to Harvard. (Maybe.)

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The Last Semester

September 30, 2016

Most semesters I've told y'all about my course schedule so you can go back and see all the different classes I've been in. This one is special because it's the very last one of my undergraduate career. So let's dig in!

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The Beginning of the End

August 8, 2016

I am still here. Though I entered Oberlin with an expected graduation date of May 2016, my taking a semester off has delayed that until this upcoming semester. This reality took me a long time to accept and I have a lot of feelings about what "not graduating on time" means for me.

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Decompression Camping

June 21, 2016

When this semester ended I knew I wanted to celebrate with a camping trip. My friend Rewa and took off to my brother's favorite spot, Nordhouse Dunes on the shores of Lake Michigan.

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SICK?!

March 2, 2016

Being sick in college is no fun. It's pretty lonely and there's no parental figure to wait on you hand and foot. But I promise, given a few tricks and a really good friend or two, you'll be better in no time. Or just in time for the cool Cat show on Friday.

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Notes On Add/Drop

February 16, 2016

It's been awhile since I walked you through a day or a week in the life. So let's do that! This is a particularly bustling one as the first weeks back are full of things to do, people to see, and the dreaded Add/Drop.

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California Dreaming

January 29, 2016

I've spent the last three weeks in California traveling down the coast and then back up again. My project has been creating a chapbook of poetry. Suffice it to say, this has been the most incredible Winter Term.

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Some thoughts on Self-Care on Campus

November 6, 2015

Sometimes college is hard. Sometimes you don't want to wake up at nine or go to the gym after class or drag yourself to Stevie/the co-op for a meal. Sometimes being a student is too much. Sometimes Oberlin is too much. This is a blog post for when you're there.

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Where Have I Been?

September 2, 2014

More importantly, I learned how to take care of myself and be comfortable being me, with all that that entails, and am ready to return to class and campus this Fall.

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On Being Back: Part II

November 24, 2013

So my semester has started. We're well into classes, and I'm mostly enthralled. I have returned to reflecting on what my life is becoming being back here. Naturally I am swamped this semester. And in being swamped, and thinking about all of these things I am doing, I start analyzing my tasks and asking myself a lot of questions.

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