Her Story
About Jessica
Jessica Oberlin is the founder of Oberlin Violin Studio, an online violin instruction and music education business she launched in 2025. A violinist since the age of three, she brings more than two decades of teaching experience to her students, building on a musical foundation shaped early on by her longtime instructor, Mrs. Haig, who at 94 now teaches Oberlin's own children. Oberlin's academic path reflects a dual passion for music and public service: she graduated cum laude from Northwestern University with dual bachelor's degrees in violin performance and political science in 2012, then went on to earn a Master of Public Policy from the University of Maryland in 2016, where she also served as a Fellow with the Robertson Foundation for Government.
Before turning to entrepreneurship full-time, Oberlin built an extensive career in public service and project management. She spent nearly five years at FEMA, where she worked as a Program Analyst and later a Senior Sprint Lead within the Public Assistance Division, contributing to initiatives such as the award-winning FEMA Audit Hub and leading a data analytics community of more than 450 employees across the agency. Earlier in her career, she served as a Harold Rosenthal Fellow in International Relations at the U.S. Department of Defense and as a Senior Consultant at LMI, where she supported a $21 million civil-military training program and worked closely with military leaders, congressional staff, and international stakeholders. Throughout this period, she maintained her PMP certification, reflecting her strength in program evaluation and project management.
In 2025, Oberlin left the world of government consulting to pursue her true calling as a business owner, founding Oberlin Violin Studio out of Barrington, Illinois. Through her online instruction, YouTube channel, and podcast, she now shares her lifelong love of violin with students while embracing the flexibility of running her own business. She counts her ability to prioritize family without compromising her professional ambitions among her proudest achievements, crediting her success to the encouragement of her parents and the mentorship of Mrs. Haig. Grounded in her faith and active in her local church community, Oberlin continues to champion work-life balance as a guiding principle for herself and for the young women she hopes to inspire in the industry.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Jessica
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my violin teacher, Mrs. Haig, and to my parents. They were incredibly encouraging and sacrificed a great deal so that I could take violin lessons, and they never discouraged me from going into business for myself.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received is to never write anything down that I wouldn't want to see on the front page of a newspaper.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would tell young women entering my industry that it can be a lonely road, balancing motherhood with learning how to run a successful business, but there is a way to make it work.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest challenges in my field right now is that many people have grown burned out on online courses, so it's essential to continually elevate your skills and set yourself apart from the crowd. Another challenge is figuring out which platform to focus on as an entrepreneur.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Work-life balance, faith, and family are the values that matter most to me, both in my work and in my personal life.
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