Faith Over Doubt: Why ORU's McKenna Lewis Traded Campaign Trails for the Classroom

In the future, if you find yourself in McKenna Lewis' classroom, you'll find yourself blessed by an amazing teacher. And not just "amazing," you'll also find yourself talking to a very confident person.

"Since coming to ORU," McKenna said, "Dr. [Cristi] Freudenrich [ORU Associate Professor of Strategic Media] has been pushing me to do hard things. She's an inspiration and a godly woman. As a professor, her confidence carries over to her students, and that confidence definitely rubbed off on me. When I told Dr. Freudenrich I was thinking about becoming a teacher, she lit up. She was so excited for me."

Rich in Spirit

In McKenna's story, confidence is important. Originally, McKenna came to ORU wanting to work in politics. She saw a lot of injustice in the world, and as a campaign manager, she wanted to help put the right people into elected office. But that path changed when McKenna suffered a health crisis, one that forced her to reconsider the future. For McKenna, this could've been devastating. Instead, she had the confidence to follow God's voice.

"I've always been good with kids," McKenna said, "and people kept telling me I'd be a great teacher. I didn't think I wanted to be a teacher, but I heard the voice of God telling me to teach. God told me that teachers are 'rich in spirit,' and that's when I said 'God, you got me!'"

To be "rich in spirit," as McKenna defines it, is to help students in a loving and personal way. It edifies not just the students in a classroom; it also edifies God.

"Since coming to ORU," McKenna said, "I've started listening to everything God tells me. I've made a conscious effort to respond without question when God says something. This is part of the reason I'm going to be a teacher. He told me to stop questioning and to just do it."

The Old-Fashioned Way

Today, McKenna is student teaching at Jenks High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she's considering two subjects as a future teacher: art or journalism. Of the two, her preference is journalism, in part, because she loves to write. But that's not the only reason. She also believes the next generation should love writing too.

"There's a motor skills crisis," McKenna said. "Students are becoming overly dependent on technology. Because of AI, students are learning to formulate ideas without ever thinking or writing. In the classroom, when I see this happen, I tell the students to close their computers. That's when we do things the old-fashioned way … with paper and brainstorming. I make students write down their thoughts and then we talk through them until they come up with their own ideas."

Great teachers believe that it's their job to challenge and motivate. This is how McKenna plans to teach, challenging her students to better think, reason, and communicate their ideas. But for McKenna, teaching goes beyond academics. She believes every student deserves to feel genuinely cared for, so when you walk through her door, you can expect more than a lesson - you can expect to belong.

"School," McKenna said, "is a place where teachers can pour into their students. Doing this well means including everyone and loving everyone. As a teacher, you have to be intentional. If you want to make a difference in a student's life, you can't teach without caring. Every student deserves to be loved, and I want to be known as a teacher who loves."

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.