“I’m joining a lot of alumni who have journeyed from OCU to Boston University and have made a big impact on the world,” Jay Williams said. “Dr. Starkey, who I have looked up to so much, got his doctoral degree at Boston University.”
Jay Williams, OCU alumnus, has been accepted into the Master of Divinity program at Boston University.
Williams said he applied to multiple universities to pursue his master’s.
“I applied to Boston University, and, honestly, it wasn’t something I really considered because of how far out it is,” Williams said. “I noticed that BU’s application was not that exhaustive, so I submitted.”
In addition to juggling his school and work life, Williams adopted his two nephews in August 2019. Williams said taking care of them played a role in his initial decision to stay in Oklahoma City.
“I had originally applied to St. Paul School of Theology on campus, and I had every intention of just going there, so we wouldn’t have to move, and the boys could finish school,” he said. “But then I got a phone call from the head of admissions at BU offering me a package that would make me a Howard Thurman fellow. I took some time and ultimately decided that maybe this move wasn’t so far out of our reach.”
Howard Thurman was a theologian and philosopher who was involved in social justice movements. He co-founded the first major interracial, interdenominational church in the U.S. in 1944 and was dean of the Marsh Chapel at Boston University from 1953 to 1965.
Williams said he has looked up to Howard Thurman for many years and admires his passion for justice and his influence over young leaders like Martin Luther King Jr.
Williams said the fellowship would include full tuition and a living stipend. He is currently taking classes online through BU and living in Oklahoma City. Williams said he will take classes this semester to decide if Boston University is the right fit for him and his family, and if all goes well, he will add on a dual degree in social work.
“I’m loving it. We’re planning to visit sometime next month hopefully, and we will ultimately decide if that’s where we want to go or if I will end up at a different university,” he said. “It wasn’t something that I was expecting at all.”
Addison Saviers, religion senior, was also accepted into Boston University for graduate school. Saviers works with Williams at a local OKC church and has known him since ninth grade. She said Williams deserved to be a Howard Thurman fellow.
“I know that it is one of their highest-ranking scholarships,” she said. “Howard Thurman was a black liberation theologian. Jay is absolutely more than deserving of that scholarship.”
Saviers said many OCU professors and alumni have attended Boston University, including Dr. John Starkey, religion professor, Dr. Mark Davies, Wimberly professor of social and ecological ethics, and Megan Hornbeek Allen, director of alumni engagement.
“I think it is touching that so many students are going. I know Jay and I are not the only religion students going to BU, and a lot of people are making that transition,” she said. “For me, that’s a big reason why I chose there.”
Williams said balancing school and family life has been difficult.
“It’s definitely a challenge. I work as a pastor in the Oklahoma City area in addition to school and family life,” he said. “It’s a little hard because there’s no separation. The boys’ mom is still in their lives, and she is helping out all of the time. It’s been a lot easier with that help.”
Williams said the COVID-19 pandemic helped him realize his full potential.
“I was doing so well for myself before COVID. I’m always on the go, but in the midst of all that I’ve realized how much I have limited myself,” he said. “Being stuck at home all the time made me realize that the world is so much bigger than I could have ever imagined.”
Williams said watching his nephews grow up has been a special experience for him.
“I grew up with all of the adversity you could think of as a Black and queer man in rural Oklahoma. I had vowed that my nephews would not fall into that cycle of dysfunction and poverty,” he said. “It’s interesting because they have different personalities; just like me and my twin, they are so different. Watching them grow up and see the people that they’re becoming, I kind of see them going in a direction that will carry them far.”
Williams said people should not take life for granted.
“If you have goals and you feel like they’re too rocky or out of your reach, just go for it anyway. The worst thing that could happen is that you’re redirected, and you can figure something else out, but there’s no point in not trying,” he said. “Just live life as much as you can, and don’t be restricted to norms of society or expectations. Do what makes you happy, and you’ll go far.”
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