The past two years I absolutely adored the idea of graduating a semester early. Now that the time has come for me to walk across the stage, there are few things I want more than to have one last semester with the people who have become my family at the university that has become my home.
The most overused phrase on our campus is “OC is Home,” and rightfully so. I have never been part of a more loving, caring and warm community until I came to Oklahoma Christian University.
Last year over fall break I became horrendously ill. I spent fall break and the first two days back at school in three different emergency rooms in two states before being sped to the ICU in an ambulance. The first two days in ICU alone I received more text messages, Facebook messages, emails and cards than I can count, all from Oklahoma Christian students and faculty, some of whom I had never even met.
I remember getting an email from the Theta president one of the first days there, asking if there was anything Theta could do for me or take care of for me while I was away from school, and to let me know that the women of Theta were praying for me. Several of them even visited and brought me flowers, balloons and stuffed animals. I’m not even in Theta.
One Tuesday night after spending the day in outrageous pain and having an IV put in my neck my fiancé brought me a card. All the men of Kappa Sigma Tau, many of whom are like brothers to me, had made a giant card for me and prayed for me that night at their club meeting.
Megan Helterbrand, my roommate at the time, took care of communicating my visiting times with everyone at school and anything I needed with my professors. She was one of very few people who were actually able to make me laugh in my state of what seemed like dying.
My fiancé, who I met at Oklahoma Christian, sat with me while I was sleeping, going through different tests or having to constantly put new IVs in because all of my veins kept collapsing day-in and day-out.
There are easily hundreds of people I could list who cared and prayed for me on this campus. I had a support system I could have never imagined, and I know I am not the first.
The Oklahoma Christian community has been one of the greatest blessings of my life, and I can’t imagine where I would be without the constant love and support I have received as a student here.
Now, my announcements are sent out and my graduation gown has been steamed.
As happy and as accomplished as I feel to be graduating ahead of schedule, graduation day will be one of the most bittersweet moments I will experience. I cannot express enough my gratitude and love for Oklahoma Christian, and everyone in it.
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