Oberlin Blogs

Ma'ayan Plaut ’10

Hi, my name is Ma'ayan Plaut, a proud Oberlin College graduate with a B.A. in cinema studies. I’m originally from Magnolia, Kentucky, with a more recent address on the Big Island of Hawaii. I didn't get a chance to visit Oberlin before enrolling, but it opened my eyes the second I arrived here for my freshman orientation and I haven't closed them since.

Before I began at Oberlin, I was interested in the visual arts, specifically photography and cinematography. I had the opportunity to explore both — within a classroom setting and as an extra-curricular — during my time as a student. Photography translated into wonderful opportunities and friendships, as I photographed for a number of student organizations and groups, both for fun and as a service to these wonderful collectives.

As a student, I was a voracious OSCA kid, living and eating in Harkness for three years and spending my final year as a member of Brown Bag Co-op. I also worked as a student manager at the Decafe, making adjective sandwiches and teaching new workers the finer points of sandwich, salad, smoothie, and coffee making. I also spent time docenting at the Allen Memorial Art Museum, working as a photo editor at The Oberlin Review, and showering first-years with information and advice as an Academic Ambassador.

The Office of Communications also played a huge role in my Oberlin life, as I spent two years as a student blogger, freelance photographer, and poster child. I began my post-college-graduate life in a one-year fellowship in web communications, which transitioned into a full-time position as Social Media Coordinator and now, my role has shifted again to the Manager of Social Strategy and Projects. I maintain the Oberlin Blogs (oh hello, you are here!), the Oberlin Stories project, plus Oberlin’s presence on various third-party social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr, just to name a few) and I make sure that our stories and projects are ready to go anywhere and do anything. I like tell people that my job is to make Oberlin look awesome on the Internet and beyond, and it is, in fact, the best job in the world.

Now that I’m a big kid with a job, I actually have some spare time in my life, so I've done the ExCo-teaching thing (previously one on photography and one on social media — along with Ben Jones and Barbara Sawhill), I attend lectures and convocations, I cook and photograph elaborate meals, and I pounce on as many concerts and performing arts opportunities as possible.

Generally, I'm around (on the Internet and in real life), and I usually have a camera and a big grin. Don't forget to smile :)

Entries from this blogger

Good Eats Under $6

December 1, 2015

When you miss meal hours in campus dining services, when your co-op cancels dinner, or when you need to treat yourself, sometimes you need to head out.

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New Faces!

October 15, 2014

To blatantly parrot a lovely quote from former blogger Ida: "I want to squish them all!"

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Awash

May 16, 2014

...with emotions, never-ending rain, smatterings of advice, and the overwhelmingness of the commencement/reunion weekend to end all commencement/reunion weekends.

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On Mentorship

October 16, 2013

Having some ideas about the mentorship opportunities while at Oberlin. They're complicated and awesome (like most things that involve people).

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Chchchchanges

October 17, 2012

To change with the times, we're changing the Oberlin blogs and the folks who work with us here: our newest members of the team are writers, photographers, audio storytellers, and illustrators.

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An ExCo (Af)Fair to Remember

February 15, 2011

In which the tables are turned on my previous ExCo fair experiences: this time, I was sitting on the other side of the chaos.

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Wheelin' and Reelin'

September 12, 2010

I would say today was a total success: lots of cool looking bikes, bike paraphernalia all over the place, and hundreds of enthusiastic people outside during one of the most pleasant days of September.

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The Kentucky Trek: A Post-Grad Tale of Repeats

June 23, 2010

When my dad graduated from Oberlin, he went to Kentucky with several recent alums and set up permanent camp on several tracts of farmland in Hart County, Kentucky. When I graduated from Oberlin, I went on a two-week trek with my family to my old Kentucky home. For me, memory lane is paved in green.

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A Post about Posters

December 18, 2009

I will try and contain my excitement within the post, but I need to note that haven't really stopped grinning for the last few weeks, and I'm just smiling at my computer while I write this. Because Oberlin makes me happy. And so does this poster.

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It's the (ExCo) Final(s) Countdown!

December 14, 2009

Our final for this ExCo was to make our own picture book, the four of us creating a fabulous story. Picture book enclosed for your reading pleasure!

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Recipes for Summertime, Part Three

July 26, 2009

These aren't secrets to getting into your dream college, I apologize. I don't think there is a formula for that. What I'm offering in the following post is an approach to making your application a solid representation of yourself.

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A Feasible Feastible Festival of Local Flavor

July 25, 2009

Keeping in the vein of keeping my blog Oberlin-centric, even if I'm a few thousand miles removed, I'm going to do a run down of local food things I like to play with, in Oberlin industrial kitchens and Hawaiian home kitchens. Kitchens are my playgrounds, but with infinitely more sharp objects and dangerous things the average kid shouldn't play with.

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Recipes for Summertime, Part Two

June 26, 2009

Wayyyyy back when I was a wee 'un, I wanted to go to a glorious place, one I had read about in books and seen in movies. College! It was everything I wanted! But first, I had to apply. And applications require writing.

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Let the Fun Commence

May 20, 2009

Campus is rather empty right now and it seems like someone picked up Oberlin by the tail and shook and a few good people stayed latched on for the ride.

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A Night at the Movies

May 15, 2009

As a cinema studies major, I don't have exams. If you're in a more traditional cinema class (think English, but your texts are films), you have final papers, but if you're in production classes, you're spending all your time editing, shooting (god help you if this is the case), editing more, printing to tape, and attending your class and other production class screenings.

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The Long Road Home

January 27, 2009

Tomorrow will be my first opportunity to listen to my completed mix, The Long Road Home. That last leg that seems to last oh-so-long will be much quicker this time.

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Pirates Throw Fine Parties

January 18, 2009

The party-goers are riveted, seeing their words transformed into a play in front of their eyes. The skits are performed with wacky costumes, wigs, and glasses, much in the style that children would play dress-up and make up stories.

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With the Pirates, Day Six

January 16, 2009

At 2.15pm, the lights went down and the excitement went up. All the writers were introduced, taking bows to waves of applause. The Story Pirates theme song was performed, and the show was on!

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A Start of a Winter Term in the Big Gritty

January 6, 2009

So, when everyone started talking about their plans for winter term in that "I'm really trying to avoid my finals work so I'm going to talk to many people I haven't talked to much this semester" time in December, I had a great name to toss into conversation, even if I didn't really know what I'd be doing yet.

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A Very Oberlin Thanksgiving

November 29, 2008

During fall orientation, while moving all my belongings from storage to my room, I got a phone call inviting me to Thanksgiving. And due to the sheer wonderfulness of this family, and their foresight, I accepted. I knew that my Thanksgiving would feel like home with the Albrechts.

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Storytelling ExCo

November 9, 2008

I had cancelled most of my plans for the weekend to write my script for cinema, and was currently completely outlined but not written. And I needed inspiration. A room full of creative souls seemed like a good place to be for two hours of my precious Sunday time.

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