An Open Letter to Oklahoma Christian University

Charina Urban
Apr 26, 2015
2 min read

For days, I’ve been searching for just the right words to illustrate how much Oklahoma Christian University has done for and meant to me over the past four years. Sometimes I think I finally have them in my head, but then they become jumbled again with emotion and the idea that I could never actually put it all into words. So here is my best attempt.

Four and a half years ago, Oklahoma Christian was just a dream to me. And for a while, it looked to be an unattainable dream. The money wasn’t there, it was super far away, and the scholarship didn’t come through. It seemed like everything that could keep me from coming, was. And then, in July, I got a call from my admissions counselor saying they were able to find me a few more small scholarships. It wasn’t much, but it was enough. A month later I was on a plane to Oklahoma.

Each year was questionable on whether I would be able to afford to come back. But with the Lord’s provision, working three jobs each semester, and working for Admissions through the summer, I somehow made it. And that’s one of the best things about OC. If you want it bad enough, they MAKE IT HAPPEN.

OC didn’t only give me an education, she gave me hope. When I would stay up crying in my dorm room thinking I just couldn’t afford the next semester, she would come through with a new scholarship or summer job. OC gave me a new family. People I could count on and look to for guidance. OC gave me some of the best friends I could ever ask for and taught me what life-long friendships really look like. OC taught me dedication and hard-work. OC showed me how to truly love others and be a better person. OC gave me the love of my life. OC challenged my faith and encouraged my walk with God. OC gave me memories -some wonderful, some not so great- but ones that I will remember forever. OC made my dreams come true.

When I got here four years ago I was a wide-eyed, self-conscious child simply looking to get away and chase something. After crossing that stage yesterday and the years I’ve been here at OC, I am a confident woman of God blessed and changed immensely by a place I now call home.

I won’t lie. It was extremely stressful, difficult, and disheartening at times. But with the Lord by my side, family and friends who never stopped encouraging me, and a fire in my heart, I made it. OC has been worth every smile, every tear, every late night, every hour of class and tests, every Spring Sing loss, every job, every dollar, every bad day and every good day.

OC is worth it. OC is home.