If You Want to Grow in College, ORU's Austin Crawford Has This Advice: Get a Good Trampoline

There's more to college than just classrooms and books. Of course, those things are important, but so are the people around you. This is because a college community-like a strong family-can help you grow. As ORU's Austin Crawford describes it, this is the "trampoline" effect. It's the impact from those around you and the lift they provide to your life.

"If I wasn't at ORU," Austin said, "I wouldn't have a community that's constantly building me up. Here, everyone wants to make you a better person. It's like standing on a trampoline full of people. Somewhere else, I might be standing in the middle, surrounded by stagnant jumpers. In that case, I couldn't jump very high. But at ORU, there are people on the edges jumping too, which helps you reach so much higher."

A Trampoline Full of Amazing Men

At ORU, Austin jumps on a crowded trampoline. This is part of his growth, part of the person he wants to become. He says that the people who surround you are the people you turn into, which is why he surrounds himself with "amazing" people. These amazing people, according to Austin, include the amazing men on ORU's campus.

"With the guys," Austin said, "accountability has been part of my growth. I'm in an accountability group, and we help each other when we're struggling with temptation. This accountability allows us the freedom to speak; it helps us share our testimonies and open up to each other without feeling shame. We put aside our pride and share things that all of us can relate to."

A Trampoline Full of Amazing Leaders

But it's not just the men who are on Austin's trampoline. As a member of ORU's Student Association (SA), Austin has found another group of student-leaders to lift him up. Currently, Austin works in SA's marketing office as a campus photographer. He says that SA is so much more than just a student-run organization; it's a family too.

"Everyone in SA is a rock to lean on," Austin said. "Somebody's always there to pick up the slack when you need it. It feels like a family who values each other. But it's not all work, work, work. We lift each other up too. When somebody does something good, we give them a shout out, and we spend time off campus, doing things and getting closer as a family."

Austin's SA family includes Augustine Mendoza, a 2016 graduate and ORU's Senior Director of Spiritual Life & Student Experience. As Senior Director, Augustine oversees the SA staff, but according to Austin, he's more than just a "boss." As Austin describes it, Augustine helps everyone jump higher by caring for and mentoring ORU students.

"Augustine is the type of leader," Austin said, "who connects with you closely. He values you as a person, and he's concerned about your emotional well-being. For me as a leader, he's taught me intentionality, which is something I struggle with. There's nothing deep in simply saying, "Hi. How ya doing? You good? Okay, next!" Augustine has taught me the value of truly knowing a person, of connecting to something deeper than just a name or a face."

Jumping Higher: Some Good Advice

Austin talks about intentionality in the people he meets, but he's also living with intentionality in the things he does. This includes his intentionality in finding "a community that's constantly building me up." For those who want to live intentionally this way, who want a good trampoline to jump on, Austin offers this advice:

"It's easy for a college student to fill their trampoline with the wrong people," Austin said. "The best defense is to guard your heart because there are people out there who want to pull you down. Everyone has friends for a reason, friends for a season, and friends for life. Guarding your heart is a good tool to determine which of these friends to jump with. In life, if you surround yourself with amazing friends, you're going to find yourself jumping higher and higher."

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. Under the leadership of President Dr. William Wilson, ORU is preparing students from all 50 states and 174 nations in the last 6 years to be whole leaders for the whole world.