During Valentine\u2019s Week, students across Oakland University were asked a simple question: If you could write a love letter to OU, what would you say? Their responses offer a glimpse into what the university means to those who call it home.<\/p>\n
For many students, love at OU begins with finding a sense of belonging beyond academics. Students described discovering connection through organizations, campus spaces and shared experiences that made the university feel personal.<\/p>\n
Freshman Claire Donaher, a clinical diagnostic medical sonography major, said student organizations helped her feel connected early in her college experience.<\/p>\n
\u201cOU \u2014 I see the love through the different clubs that you can always be in,\u201d Donaher said. \u201cI just joined my sorority, and I\u2019ve seen it through that and through all my clubs. I\u2019ve seen it through connecting with people who are like me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sophomore Sommer Fishpaw, president of the Student Program Board and a public relations and advertising major, said campus involvement played a central role in shaping both her personal growth and professional direction.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause of you, I have met some of the most kindhearted friends, professors and coworkers,\u201d Fishpaw said. \u201cBecause of you, I have my dream job as president of the Student Program Board.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fishpaw said hosting events and working closely with the student body helped her discover her passion and sense of purpose.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn many ways, we have been united, and I think it\u2019s significant to take notice of the love here on campus,\u201d she said. \u201cThe only way to get through tough times is to have people around you that you feel loved and supported by.\u201d<\/p>\n
As students progress through their academic careers, many said Oakland University begins to feel like less of an institution and more of a tightly-knit gathering place.<\/p>\n
Senior Aziana Stewart, a human resource development major, said the campus feels increasingly familiar and welcoming.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou feel less like a campus and more like a small community,\u201d Stewart said. \u201cNo matter where I go, I see familiar faces, and that sense of connection makes OU feel like home.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stewart said shared spaces \u2014 particularly the clock tower \u2014 symbolize how students\u2019 milestones intersect.<\/p>\n
\u201cOakland University has given me not just an education, but a place where I truly belong,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Senior Jeremiah Kelly, a human resource management major, said love on campus came through access to resources and mentorship.<\/p>\n
Kelly works with the Center for Multicultural Initiatives and said the experience helped him feel supported both personally and professionally.<\/p>\n
\u201cOU has definitely provided me with the right resources to successfully make it to the end stage of graduating,\u201d Kelly said. \u201cI\u2019ve made a lot of friendships here that I\u2019m going to take further down the road with me.\u201d<\/p>\n
For some students, love on campus is tied closely to feeling safe and supported.<\/p>\n
Sierra Liggins, a freshman majoring in pre-physician assistant studies, said Oakland University\u2019s welcoming environment has strongly shaped her first-year college experience.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love how there\u2019s a bunch of support systems, especially as a person of color,\u201d Liggins said. \u201cThe CMI office is always open, and the mentors and advisors there make this campus feel very safe and welcoming.\u201d<\/p>\n
Senior Jade Reeder, a human resources major, described her relationship with the university as both demanding and transformative.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou stress me out, take my money and keep me tired, but somehow you\u2019re still helping me grow,\u201d Reeder said. \u201cBetween the deadlines, late nights and coffee addiction, you\u2019ve made me stronger.\u201d<\/p>\n
Graduate students also reflected on growth shaped by academic challenge.<\/p>\n
Zhengyi \u201cCameron\u201d Lu, a second-year doctoral student in computer science, said Oakland University taught him persistence beyond technical skills.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou taught me how to think in systems, not just in answers,\u201d Lu said. \u201cBetween lines of code and late-night debugging, I\u2019ve learned that all this progress is built on patience and curiosity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Across responses, students described love at Oakland University not as a single feeling, but as a collection of moments \u2014 joining a club, finding mentorship, building friendships and feeling supported during pivotal stages of their education.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"During Valentine\u2019s Week, students across Oakland University were asked a simple question: If you could write a love…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":173533,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[143,145,144],"class_list":{"0":"post-173532","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-oakland","8":"tag-oakland","9":"tag-oakland-headlines","10":"tag-oakland-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173532","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=173532"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173532\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/173533"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=173532"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=173532"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=173532"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}