One of the most enjoyable experiences during my time at TU has been building relationships with those I did not expect to, such as international students and TU employees. One evening in the second semester of my freshman year, I was enjoying a delicious meal from the cafeteria in the Allen Chapman Student Union. As I was munching away, my friend Wes called me over to his table. Wes was a Resident Advisor (RA) in John Mabee Hall, and he was sharing a meal with one of his residents, Ben, who had just recently moved to the United States from Congo.
The first thing I noticed about Ben was his huge, warm smile, and we connected immediately, happily chatting away. I learned that he had graduated from college in Congo ten years prior, but his employer wanted him to get a Petroleum Engineering degree, and that’s why he came to TU. Additionally, he had a beautiful family consisting of a wife and two children, who he hoped to someday bring to Tulsa. After a week or so, I saw Ben eating dinner in the Student Union, and I asked if I could eat with him. He said “Of course!”, and as we ate, he mentioned he did not know the names of many of the buildings on campus. Conveniently enough, at that time I was training to become a University Ambassador (tour guide), and I offered to give him a tour of campus. I ended up giving him a tour a few days later, and now we are good friends.
I have also been so blessed by the connections I have formed with the employees who work at TU. In my first year at TU, there was a worker who sat at the entrance of the Student Union, greeting people and ensuring they wore their masks. Every time I saw her, she would say something like “Hey baby, how’s it going?” After a couple times of seeing her, I had a longer conversation with her, and I learned that her name was Moe. We started to joke together quite a bit, especially looking forward to Friday. Every Friday, without fail, we yelled, “IT’S FRIDAY!!!!!!!” and maybe do a happy jig. On the days leading up to Friday, such as Tuesday, we assured each other, “Only three days ‘til Friday!” A month or so into second semester, she told me that she would be needing several surgeries for her hip, and would not be on campus for a good bit. Upon hearing this news, a friend and I got her flowers and a card, which we had as many people sign as possible, and we surprised her with it a week before her surgery. She was truly grateful and asked for our phone numbers to keep in contact. I reached out to her leading up to and after the surgery, and we chatted a couple times. One of the sweetest memories for me was her texting me, “Happy Friday!” This semester (the first semester of my sophomore year), she made sure to text me when she was on campus, and I gave her a big hug when I saw her. It has been so rewarding to meet people who are in all different walks of life than I am at TU.