Why Lead? ORU’s Gracie Kangethe Discusses Her Leap into Campus Leadership
Hometown: Overland Park, Kansas City
Strategic Media
Opportunities often arrive quietly. An email, a conversation, a decision waiting
to be made. When this happens, it’s easy to defer, to remain silent, to wait for someone
else to lead. Doubt happens to all. But you don’t have to wait. Whether the next
step means raising the idea in a classroom or handling details behind the scenes,
your choices no longer have to be shaped by fear. You are developed by your decisions
and the quiet realization that leadership often begins with the simple courage to
say “Yes.”
Gracie Kangethe said “Yes” and seized her opportunity to lead. She overcame the fear that held her back. When she arrived at ORU, she says she was afraid to lead. One of her biggest fears: the fear of public speaking. Gracie, a Strategic Media major from Overland Park, Kansas, is now a leader in ORU’s Prayer Movement and Souls A’Fire (ORU’s neo-Gospel group).
“When Prayer Movement approached me about applying for leadership,” Gracie said, “I didn’t think I was ready. My hesitancy came from a place of fear. I don’t like speaking in front of people, and they wanted me to lead on the prayer side, which meant I’d be praying out loud. That was a very uncomfortable space for me because, at the time, I didn’t want to be in the spotlight.”
According to Gracie, God will use people in the places that scare them. Her fear of public speaking almost held her back, but she felt led by God to take a leadership position on campus. She says she tried to delay stepping into her fear, but as she describes it, “delayed obedience is still disobedience.”
“So I listened to God and I applied to lead in Prayer Movement ...They pushed me to be comfortable being uncomfortable, and because of this, I’ve experienced even more growth at ORU.”
“So I listened to God,” Gracie said, “and I applied to lead in Prayer Movement. I’d
convinced myself that there were better leaders on campus, but I was chosen. They
saw my potential. I think they also saw the exponential growth that God has done in
my life. They pushed me to be comfortable being uncomfortable, and because of this,
I’ve experienced even more growth at ORU.”
When you do uncomfortable things, you experience unexpected growth. That’s what facing your fear looks like, and for many, it’s an important step in becoming a leader on campus. But fear and doubt aren’t the only obstacles in the leadership journey. According to Gracie, there’s another thing to consider if you want to be a student leader. It involves sacrifice, but it’s the sacrifice of your gifts.
“For a long time,” Gracie said, “I was bound to one gift … the gift of worship. But when you’re good at something, it can begin to define you. As someone who sings, I used to think of myself as ‘Gracie the Singer.’ I committed myself to worship, and that's all I thought I could do.”
Becoming a campus leader, Gracie says the Lord “broke me out of my gift.” She stepped beyond her single identity, beyond worship and singing. Yes, she still sings at ORU, but that’s not her sole focus anymore. As a child of God, first and foremost, she has expanded her identity into “Gracie the Leader,” into a new space where God wants her to be.
“A gift,” Gracie said, “can’t be your only focus. I feel like a lot of people, especially in my generation, get really good at something, and then they think, ‘I need to continue doing this.’ But to be a leader, you might need to break out of your limited identity. Sometimes, we put too much emphasis on what we’re ‘called to do.’ God is always calling us to do more.”
A photo collage of Gracie with ORU Worship and her friends
For more information, please visit ORU Worship or ORU’s Strategic Media degree webpage.
UNIVERSITY BRIEF
ORU is a Christian, Spirit-empowered, interdenominational university in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with 16 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 165 nations in the last 5 years to be whole leaders for the whole world.
The Wall Street Journal ranked ORU as the #8 university in the nation for student experience and one of America's Best Colleges (2025). This new category rates the best colleges in the U.S. to have a great experience while attending. This ranking is powered by one of the largest-ever independent surveys of verified college students and recent graduates in the United States. Niche has recognized ORU as one of the top 25 most diverse colleges in America, the # 1 best Christian college in Oklahoma, and the # 1 in Oklahoma for diversity. Princeton Review ranked ORU as the best regional college, and College Raptor ranked ORU as a Hidden Gem in the Southwest. Heritage.org classified ORU as a great option for families prioritizing freedom, opportunity, and civil society.
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
