By Bridget Janis
Nautica Finkley is a sophomore studying psychology at one of the largest private Christian colleges in the world, Oral Robert University (ORU) in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Finkley comes from a troubled background in Louisiana, but made the decision to pack up her stuff and move to Oklahoma. She left behind everything she knew and completely changed her life around while furthering her relationship with God.
Finkley offers a unique story that overcomes a stereotype about children that come from rough homes and are in and out of foster care. According to “For foster care kids, college degrees are elusive” published by PEW Charitable Trusts, about 20% of fostered children that graduate high school attend college. While Finkley stands out and doesn’t fit this statistic, she does everything she can to make the most of herself, even if that means starting over.
Nautica Finkley posing on Oral Roberts Univeristy's campus in November 2019 during her sophomore year.
Nautica Finkley poses inside a church after worship while visiting Howell, MI in March 2020. Finkley is a sophomore at Oral Roberts University, that moved from Benton, Louisiana to Tulsa, Oklahoma for college in hopes of a more fulfilling life.
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Benton, Louisiana, it was a rural and poverty-stricken area.
What was your life like?
My younger brother and I had a really abusive and, I guess you could say sad, life. My dad left when I was three and when I was in the first grade, my mom left and didn’t come home for four days. Our neighbors called foster care and we were put into a foster care home for about 2 years. After, I moved in with my aunt for a couple of years. Then, I was in middle school when my mom came back and I moved back in with her. Then, after a couple of years, my mom wanted to move cities, so I moved back in with my aunt.
Why did you choose to go away to college?
I knew I couldn’t stay in Benton, so, I left everything behind and moved to Tulsa to start my new life. With my background, a lot of p
people didn’t even expect me to graduate high school, let alone attend college. But here I am going to a huge, expensive school on a full-ride scholarship.
How did it feel going from a rural area to an urban area?
ORU has over 115 nations represented on campus, it was a big culture shock going to a school where there's people from Africa and there’s people from the Middle East and there’s people from almost every single country. It can be interesting to learn about various cultures and see different people’s mindsets.
How did it feel going from a non-religious background to an extremely religious environment?
It was hard growing up, I was more religious than my family and everyone around me. Even from a young age, I was always seeking to learn more about God and deeper aspects of the religion,
no one else was trying to do that. Now that I go to ORU, I’m meeting people who view God in different ways or have different experiences with religion than me. It was kind of intimidating, but I realized I can learn things I would’ve never been able to learn if I didn’t leave Louisiana.
How did it feel when you left Louisiana?
It felt right like I was doing what I was meant to do. I didn’t want to stay in that small, run-down town forever. This became my chance to be somewhere where I could express my love for God and figure out more about myself and the world around me.
How is your life different from where you live now?
The accessibility of things around me is the biggest change, the closest store use to be 35 minutes away, now I live across the street from a Walmart. Overall, my life is so much better now, I got out of such a toxic, rural area to a populated, well-rounded community. I am doing so much better here.
For Finkley, she knew she needed some sort of change in her life to better herself. Since she decided to move to Oklahoma and attend ORU she has been presented with more opportunities and a chance for a better outcome. She was able to move forward in life and not become just another statistic in the books.
Finkley is now able to experience a high diversity level and interact with people from multiple parts of the world. According to ORU’s quick facts page, all 50 states and 115 international countries are represented on campus.
Coming from a small town in Louisiana to Tulsa, became a culture shock for Finkley, but the good kind that ends up shaping you into a more well-rounded person in the long run.
Finkley says how deciding to move forward with God is the best thing she had ever done for herself.
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