Running to the Noise

What does it take to build a creative career when there’s no clear roadmap? In this special live episode of Running to the Noise , President Carmen Twillie Ambar welcomes singer, actor, comedian, and Oberlin alumna Tamara Jade ’12 back to campus for a candid conversation about ambition, resilience, and life as a working artist. Recorded before a live audience of Oberlin students just weeks before...

People closest to the world’s biggest problems often have the best solutions. They just don’t always have access to the dollars needed to bring them to life. That belief is at the center of Cecilia Conrad’s work to rethink how philanthropists find and fund big ideas. In this episode of Running to the Noise , Oberlin College President Carmen Twillie Ambar speaks with Conrad, founding CEO of Lever f...

In this special spring episode of Running to the Noise , President Carmen Twillie Ambar reflects on what makes Oberlin College and Conservatory a place where students don’t just imagine change—they step up and make it happen. From student-led initiatives to alumni shaping fields as diverse as the arts, artificial intelligence, public policy, and journalism, this episode brings together stories roo...

A decade ago, Ali Najmi ’06 ran for city council in Queens and lost. But that loss forged a partnership and a political foundation that would eventually help propel Zohran Mamdani to the mayor’s office in New York City. Today, Ali sits at the center of power in the nation’s largest city as Mayor Mamdani’s election lawyer, trusted advisor, and chair of the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciar...

What does it take to get your talent noticed today? How do you sell your skills without selling out? In this wide-ranging and practical conversation on Running to the Noise , Oberlin President Carmen Twillie Ambar brings together three young multihyphenate alums navigating today’s volatile creative economy: Tamara Jade ’12 ( The Voice , HBO’s A Black Lady Sketch Show ), EJ Marcus ’19 (comic and st...

In the second half of their urgent conversation on Running to the Noise , Oberlin College President Carmen Twillie Ambar and Benjamin Wittes ’91 turn from the Supreme Court to the Justice Department. They dig into what happens when the power to prosecute is steered toward political ends. Together, they confront the implications of government lawyers misleading judges, career public servants being...

American democracy is being tested in ways few could have imagined even a decade ago. The Supreme Court’s emergency docket, presidential power, the durability of the Justice Department, and the independence of our legal institutions are all under intense strain. To understand how we got here and what may come next, there are few voices more clear eyed than Benjamin Wittes, Oberlin Class of 1991. A...

Artificial intelligence has evolved from an abstract concept into one of the most transformative forces of our time. When Tom Dietterich graduated from Oberlin in 1977 with a degree in mathematics, AI was still largely theoretical. Over the decades that followed, his pioneering research helped turn theory into reality.  A distinguished computer scientist and one of the early architects of machine...

Since 1996, Radio Diaries has been giving people tape recorders and working with them to report on their own lives and histories. That experiment, created by Joe Richman , became a groundbreaking audio documentary project that has redefined journalism as storytelling rooted in empathy. Richman’s work has aired on NPR, This American Life , and the BBC, winning multiple Peabody Awards while proving...

Before she became a Guggenheim Fellow and a leading voice on pandemics, migration, and the environment, Sonia Shah ’90 was a student at Oberlin. Thirty-five years later, she returned to campus to deliver a powerful commencement address, reminding us of our interconnectedness with the natural world around us. In this episode of Running to the Noise , Oberlin College President Carmen Twillie Ambar r...

Before he became a comedic force on The Office or the creator of a podcast about near-miss nuclear disasters, Ed Helms ’96 was a music major at Oberlin, exploring bluegrass, improv, and performance on a campus that embraced his curiosity. What began as an artistic experiment turned into a career shaped by collaboration, humility, and the desire to tell stories that matter. In this episode of Runni...

Before she captivated Broadway audiences in Good Night, and Good Luck , Georgia Heers ’21 was a jazz voice major at Oberlin Conservatory—among the first students mentored by Associate Professor La Tanya Hall, a working artist and visionary educator. What began as voice lessons soon became something deeper: a mentorship grounded in trust, truth, and the transformative power of music. In this episod...

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 Ambar sits down with O’...

Long before his novel  Leave the World Behind  became a blockbuster, Obama-produced Netflix thriller, Rumaan Alam '99 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 race, power, and the unseen forces shaping our lives. In this episode, Oberlin College President Carme...

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 on to shape her gr...

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, literature, history and fil...

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 Ambar speaks with...

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 and Ebola, which h...

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 has written ext...

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 — the Fame school. Rather...

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 praise TV in the...

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 Awards, a MacArthu...

In this month’s special episode of Running to the Noise , host and president Carmen Twillie Ambar, the first Black chief executive in Oberlin’s nearly two-century history, talks with three other trailblazers about the challenges and the joys of being the first Black women to lead their long-standing institutions. Joining her are Joanne Berger-Sweeney of Trinity College, Lori White of DePauw Univer...

During her six years as the mayor of Baltimore, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake wasn’t afraid to ruffle feathers to do what she thought was right for her city, a lesson she learned from her father, Howard “Pete” Rawlings, a child of Baltimore public housing and one of the most powerful political leaders in Maryland. He taught her that popularity and polls didn’t matter—it was the person in the mirror she...

Producer Shane Boris didn’t set out to make Oscar-worthy documentaries. He wanted to tell stories that moved him, helped people make sense of the world—and inspired them to change it for the better. Through a chance encounter on an airplane soon after graduating from Oberlin College and Conservatory with a degree in politics, Boris built a successful career in filmmaking that has resulted in multi...