What began as a typical morning quickly turned into a day of chaos and heartbreak. After hearing the news, Michelle and a classmate rushed downtown to cover the unfolding tragedy. They stepped over shattered glass, encountered jammed 911 lines, and faced multiple bomb scares. Still, Michelle pressed on, interviewing survivors and navigating restricted areas to document the story.
Michelle Strain, Director of the Scraper Counseling Center at MACU, recently shared her powerful experience as a student reporter at the University of Oklahoma during the tragic Murrah Building bombing on April 19, 1995. In an interview with her alma mater newspaper, she recounted the events of that day—and how they shaped both her career and her faith.
A Heartbreaking Reality Sets In
After spending time at a first aid station interviewing survivors, they continued walking until they reached the media staging area. That’s when Michelle saw the Murrah Building for the first time.
“Seeing it in person was nothing like the photos or videos on television… It looked like a giant hand had reached up and ripped away chunks of the building.”
On the way home, she received the most devastating news—a daycare had been inside the building.
“That was really hard—knowing that children had been hurt or killed… That was really, really hard.”
A Legacy of Compassion and Purpose
That day forever reshaped Michelle’s life and career, inspiring her to lead with compassion and purpose. Now, as Director of MACU’s Counseling Center, she helps others through life’s most difficult moments—just as she felt called to do back in 1995.
“The reason I became a counselor started that day. I realized I wanted to help people… I wasn’t interested in a story; I was interested in helping people. I love coming to work every day feeling like I’m living in my calling… and it all started that day. The world changed that day, and it changed me too.”