Running to the Noise

Mar 26 2025 19 ep. 38 mins 8
Running to the Noise Podcast artwork

When First Lady Michelle Obama spoke to the graduating class of Oberlin College and Conservatory in 2015, she encouraged students to embrace Oberlin’s history and run to the “noise”— those challenging, contentious situations that threaten to divide us. 

As the first college in America to officially embrace the admission of black students, and the first co-ed school to grant bachelor’s degrees to women, Oberlin has been Running to the Noise almost since our inception. And that’s just what we’ll do in each episode of our podcast, hosted by College President Carmen Twillie Ambar.

President Ambar will talk with all manner of interesting and influential people on and off our campus who are tackling some of the world’s toughest problems, working to spark positive change for everyone.

  Society & Culture  Education
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Telling Stories That Matter with Soledad O'Brien

Mar 26 2025 45 mins  
Before she became one of America’s most recognizable journalists, Soledad O’Brien was a young woman growing up on Long Island—the daughter of immigrants who faced housing discrimination and defied the odds. That early experience shaped a lifelong commitment to telling stories from the margins.In this episode of Running to the Noise, Oberlin College President Carmen Twillie Am

Meeting the World As It Is with Rumaan Alam

Feb 26 2025 41 mins  
Long before his novel Leave the World Behind became a bestselling, Obama-produced Netflix thriller, Rahman Alam was a creative writing major at Oberlin College, learning the craft of storytelling in rigorous workshops. His time at Oberlin shaped his approach to fiction—one that explores ambition, power, and the unseen forces shaping our lives. In this episode, Oberlin College Pr

All the World's a Stage with Julie Taymor

Jan 29 2025 39 mins  
Julie Taymor made history as the first woman to win the Tony Award for Best Director of a Musical with The Lion King. But long before Broadway, her journey began at Oberlin College, where she created her own major in mythology and folklore. From there, she traveled the world, immersing herself in the theatrical traditions of Indonesia, Japan, and beyond—experiences that would go

Game-Changing Expertise: Season 1’s Most Powerful Moments

Dec 25 2024 35 mins  
As we celebrate the holidays and embark on Season 2, we’re pausing to reflect on some of the most memorable conversations from Season 1 of Running to the Noise. This special “Best Of” episode revisits moments with trailblazing guests whose diverse expertise is driving meaningful change across industries, communities, and cultures.From journalism and politics to music, literat

Second Acts and Arias with Limmie Pulliam

Nov 26 2024 41 mins  
Limmie Pulliam made his debut at Carnegie Hall and the Metropolitan Opera at the age of 47, an improbable achievement for a man who left the opera world in his early 20s, disheartened by an industry that prioritized image over talent, Pulliam spent years working as a debt collector and security guard—rarely singing at all.In this episode, Oberlin College President Carmen Twillie

Tracking the Flu with Disease Detective Dr. Timothy Uyeki

Oct 30 2024 39 mins  
Before Dr. Timothy Uyeki became one of the nation’s foremost experts in influenza and pandemic preparedness, he studied biology and environmental ecology at Oberlin College, while nurturing a love for the blues. Today, as the Chief Medical Officer of the Influenza Division at the CDC, Dr. Uyeki works on the frontlines of global health, tirelessly combating threats like avian flu

Rethinking Our Place in Nature with Sonia Shah

Sep 25 2024 39 mins  
Before Sonia Shah became a renowned science journalist and award-winning author, she got her start at Oberlin College and Conservatory, where studied philosophy and neuroscience and served as editor-in-chief of The Oberlin Review. That early experience at the student-run newspaper, she says, was “absolutely foundational . . It was what made me decide to be a journalist."Shah

The Theater of Discomfort with Corey Stoll

Aug 08 2024 32 mins  
Whether it’s a morally-ambiguous politician like Peter Russo in House of Cards, the Marvel villain Yellowjacket, or the ghost of Ernest Hemingway, for actor Corey Stoll, it all starts with finding truth in the script. Stoll began his acting education somewhat reluctantly in fifth grade, but he hit his stride at the legendary New York performing arts high school LaGuardia — th

Getting Real About TV with Emily Nussbaum

Jul 11 2024 39 mins  
For Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Emily Nussbaum ’88, it all started with a TV show called Buffy the Vampire Slayer. When the cult hit first aired in 1997, Nussbaum, then a literature doctoral student, watched it like anyone else. However, it was love at first bite: Buffy would consequently alter her entire career trajectory. “I wanted to abandon the old method of you can only

More than Music with Rhiannon Giddens

Jun 06 2024 46 mins  
In an industry that loves to put artists into neatly defined boxes, Rhiannon Giddens refuses to be pigeonholed. Trained as an operatic soprano at Oberlin College and Conservatory, the 2000 graduate moved back home to North Carolina, picked up the fiddle and fell in love with old-time banjo. Her eclectic folk music has taken her into every imaginable space. She has won two Grammy A