The Life-Changing Decision for Lynett Amaro, ORU’s Student Association President
Lynett Amaro
Hometown: Tulsa, Oklahoma
Freedom – No responsibility or accountability and no hindrances to personal choices. The college years are a time to explore new experiences and challenge traditional boundaries. For Lynett Amaro, ORU’s Student Association President, this was the kind of freedom she thought she wanted. After high school, Lynett struggled with her identity, and in choosing a college, she thought she needed a campus where accountability was minimized.
“I applied to some big party schools,” Lynett said. “To me, that was what freedom looked like … the partying and the drinking. I felt like I was in a bubble, and I thought I needed to experience those things.”
A University That’s More Than a Party School
Sometimes, the path we need isn’t the path we imagined. Lynett imagined that her path to college went through a party school, but life took her in a different direction. That direction, which brought her to ORU, wasn’t something she had planned for.
“I’d already been accepted to three schools,” Lynett said, “but something—I couldn’t tell you what, but now I know this was the Holy Spirit—prompted me to check out ORU’s website. I remember sitting in my living room, and I thought to myself, ‘I'll just fill out this application.’”
After applying to ORU, Lynett attended a Quest Event and visited the University for the first time. When she stepped onto campus, she realized that something was different about ORU. Lynett didn’t find herself at a party school; instead, she found herself at a university that prioritizes personal development and growth through honor.
“When I arrived on campus,” Lynett said, “I felt something different. I had never experienced it before. A lot of ORU students feel the same thing. It’s hard to put into words, but it felt like peace. It felt like home.”
Freedom to Grow, Freedom to Change the World
Lynett found her college home at ORU, but it wasn’t the home she had originally planned for. ORU is a university where students grow in their faith and their values. These priorities have helped ORU’s enrollment increase for 14-consecutive years, attracting one of America’s most diverse student bodies and enrolling students from 124 nations. At ORU, Lynnett discovered a different kind of freedom than what she’d been seeking; she discovered the freedom to grow as a Spirit-empowered leader.
“In applying to those other schools, my flesh wanted to experience what seemed like freedom,” Lynett said. “I don't know where I would be if I hadn't applied to ORU. Here, I’m surrounded by Jesus-loving people and professors. It’s an environment that shapes you so well for the outside world.”
At ORU, Lynett chose social work as her major, motivated by a passion for helping people. Growing up in a Hispanic home, Lynett’s vision is to someday own a business that equips Hispanic churches and organizations. She wants to remedy “broken systems” and provide support for those who reach out to the Hispanic community.
“In my experience within the Hispanic church, many pastors and youth pastors are providing counseling services,” Lynett said, “but lack formal preparation. Those who provide these services need training and education. In these different churches and organizations, I want to prepare people to serve their communities.”
What’s Better than a Party School? Becoming President!
Last year, Lynett was elected Student Association President and now has the honor of representing ORU’s 5,000+ students. This might not have happened if she’d followed her initial thinking. The path to a party school was not for Lynett because her future at ORU was predicted before she ever chose a college.
“My grandfather,” Lynett said, “was my best friend. Right before he passed, he told me that one day I was going to be the president. And here I am today … I’m the Student Association President at ORU. Thinking back to that conversation, my grandfather told me that ORU is where I needed to be.”
ABOUT ORAL ROBERTS UNIVERSITY
ORU is a Christian, Spirit-empowered, interdenominational university in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with over a decade 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 142 nations (from 2019 to 2022) to be whole leaders for the whole world.
The Wall Street Journal ranked ORU as the #4 university in the nation for student engagement. This ranking is based upon faculty interactions, collaborative learning, critical thinking, real-world applications of student learning, the extent to which classes challenge students, and whether students would recommend a university to others. Niche recognizes ORU as one of the most diverse colleges in America.
ORU has been ranked by U.S. News & World Report as:
- #1 in Undergraduate Teaching
- #2 in Most International Students
- #3 in Best Value
- #6 in Best College for Veterans
- #7 in Best Regional Colleges in the West
For more information, visit www.oru.edu.