A 'Humble Community': Why AJ Rivera Took a Leap of Faith to ORU

If you're interested in ORU, we'll ask you to sign up for a Quest Visit. We want to show you our growing campus (we've added 4 new buildings with more on the way) and our growing community (our enrollment's increased for 17 straight years). But not everyone needs a visit. Some students choose ORU without ever seeing the campus. Some, like ORU's Abraham Jose "AJ" Rivera Malave, choose by faith.

"I committed to ORU without ever setting foot on campus," AJ said. "A friend suggested I look into it, and I trusted that advice. Being a Christian university gave me peace about the decision, but living in Puerto Rico, I never had the chance to visit. The first time I actually saw ORU's campus was the week before Move-In Day. I went in completely blind."

Blind Faith, Bold Choice

Going "in blind" takes a lot of "blind faith," especially when your university is over two thousand miles from home. AJ chose ORU, sight unseen, because of the spiritual community, where college life is more than just studying, grades, and degrees. Yet faith alone didn't drive his decision. Choosing ORU was also about the people. AJ wanted more than just a campus; he also wanted a "humble community."

"Initially," AJ said, "I was looking at Ivy League schools, but I just couldn't see myself at those universities. I was searching for a campus filled with humble students, for a place that's focused more on a higher calling and less on glorifying people. Everyone is called to a higher purpose, and in a humble community, the students elevate each other to their callings. At ORU, it's not about the individual; it's about lifting others up when they struggle to their feet."

More Than a Major: Discovering Yourself

Sometimes, the best things in life are unseen. AJ jumped into ORU unseen, and in doing so, he found the "humble community" he was searching for. He also found a place to discover himself, to explore and answer the question "Who am I as a person?" To answer this, AJ says it's important to expand your mentality, to see college as more than just grades.

"If you're a college student," AJ said, "you shouldn't define yourself solely by the job you want. We're made individually by God and in His image, and it's important to flesh out who you are. At ORU, there's so much outside the classroom to help you figure this out."

Leadership: Flipping the Pyramid

At ORU, AJ is pursuing a degree in psychology, but as he sees it, there's more to his education than just his major. Growth, both spiritual and personal, has become central to his ORU experience, a college experience that reaches well beyond academics and books. Currently, AJ serves as the Student Association's Clubs and Organization's Executive, a position that oversees more than 50 campus clubs. In this position, AJ is learning leadership, but he's also learning that good leaders don't do the work alone.

"Before college," AJ said, "I always thought leadership started at the top. But that's not how ORU teaches leadership. Here, the pyramid is flipped, and the people who lead learn to serve others. That's what I love about ORU. In a position of leadership, I'm serving more people than I ever expected. Servant leadership sounds obvious, but it wasn't before ORU. In a humble community, it's a skill you're going to learn."

A photo collage highlighting moments of AJ with his ORU friends.

Nationally Ranked, Globally Recognized

ORU is a Christian, Spirit-empowered, interdenominational university in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with 17 years of consecutive enrollment growth. Regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, ORU offers over 150 majors, minors, concentrations, and pre-professional programs at the bachelor's level, ranging from business and engineering to nursing, ministry, and more. In 2024, the Carnegie Foundation recognized ORU with a "Leadership for Public Purpose" award, a distinction earned by only 25 universities nationwide. Under the leadership of President Dr. William Wilson, ORU is preparing students from all 50 states and 176 nations in the last 7 years to be whole leaders for the whole world.