Oklahoma Christian University has a massive campus brimming with many cultures from around the world. Students come from many different backgrounds outside of Oklahoma or even the United States, and Oklahoma Christian prides itself on being a home for these students. Campus itself has homes for multicultural students in the form of three student organizations.
Oklahoma Christian has four main organizations for multicultural students, including the Black Student Union (BSU), International Student Council (ISC), Latin American Student Organization (LASO), and Third Culture Kids (TCKs). Each organization attempts to reach a section of students on campus to have a community to connect with.
The Black Student Union on campus hopes to promote unity through diversity, education, and leadership. The BSU has recently had a major kickoff event, hosted on Oct. 2 to announce a larger amount of activity from the organization.
International Student Council at Oklahoma Christian is focused on representing students and communities from all over the world.
“The best experience I had so far is seeing new students join and immediately blend in with the rest of the community even if they never met before,” Anne Marie Monique Dusangeyezu, an Oklahoma Christian student in ISC said. “ISC members and friends have a strong understanding of the beauty of different cultures and how we all complement each other.”
ISC will often partner with different organizations in Oklahoma to perform acts of service around Oklahoma Christian.
“My favorite event with ISC was volunteering with Restore OKC,” said Dusangeyezu. ISC has partnered with Restore OKC in the past and will do service opportunities for them in the future.
The Latin American Student Organization runs events on Oklahoma Christian’s campus for any latin american students. LASO has been focusing on developing its network and becoming a more active organization on campus.
Instead of being a campus organization, Third Culture Kids is actually a ministry for Oklahoma Christian students. The ministry focuses on an often overlooked multicultural group, students who grew up in a culture or country different from their parents’ culture or country and have now moved to the United States.
“Getting to know people who grew up the same way that I did, regardless of where in the world that was for them, and having a dedicated space to connect is something that I had no idea would be so important to me,” Rylee Cherry, a member of Third Culture Kids and student at Oklahoma Christian said. “From feeling out of place as I was adjusting to a new culture freshman year, to now being able to mentor younger TCKs, I have seen how simply having a space for our small community allows those who consider themselves outsiders to feel seen, known, and loved.”
Through its mentorship to students, TCK hosts dinners and other events for students from a third culture background to socialize with each other, get to know each other, and build a community on campus.
“TCK’s often feel out of place as we aren’t typically considered international students, despite the fact that we have spent the majority of our lives outside of the States, and we aren’t quite domestic students either,” Cherry said. “As the TCK group becomes more known, it is my hope that future TCKs will feel more accepted and understood in the OC community.”
Each of the four organizations and ministries are focused on creating a positive environment for all students who may be from a diverse background. Students who may have felt misunderstood can find community amongst these organizations.
When commenting on each organization, Oklahoma Christian Student Enoch Perkins said, “I am most excited about just being a part of them all, being able to participate is a privilege and they are crucial to the international or multicultural students on this campus. I feel proud to be a part of it and I look forward to everything they do.”
Students can learn more about each of the organizations on Oklahoma Christian’s website, or they can attend Intercultural Chapel on Wednesdays in Adams Recital Hall to see a snapshot of what these organizations do on campus.
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