Humans of Southwestern: Daniel Wauran

As part of our continuing series Humans of Southwestern, Lonnie Kucinski recently interviewed a soon-to-be SWAU graduate, Daniel Wauran. Topics ranged from the mundane to the spiritual:

Daniel Wauran

My name is Daniel Wauran. I’m a senior accounting major from Berrien Springs, Michigan.

Originally, I planned on going to Andrews University, but I wanted to try something new, so I heard that my cousin and my friends were going to Southwestern Adventist University and I decided since I wanted to try something new I would move to a new state and have a new experience with my friends and cousin.

My mother inspired me so much. She’s the strongest woman that I’ve ever known. I’m not just saying that because she’s my mother, but I’m saying that because of the many things she’s sacrificed for me when I was a kid. I’m so lucky and so humble that God has given me her as a mother.

My freshman year I lost my father to cancer. I remember coming out of work in Keene and my cousin telling me that my dad passed away. I’ll never forget the feeling. I felt like the whole world stopped for a second but at the same time it didn’t and I think that frustrated me because in some ways, becauseI kind of wish the world stopped when my father passed, I didn’t want life to keep going, I just wanted to process my thoughts if that makes sense. I cling onto the hope that Jesus Christ will come again and I will see my father one day.

I’m an only child, so I was used to being by myself, but man, I learned that I needed community. I’m very stubborn, so I tend to be independent about everything, but sometimes I learned that it can be good for me to humble myself and be around people who care about me and who I can trust and I feel like that gives me so much security.

SWAU has taught me so much about the importance of community. I love the people here. Everyone has been so nice since I moved here. I hear so many people saying that you’ll find your true friends in college, and I’m a testimony to that because I have an amazingly close community that I feel I’ll keep for the rest of my life. I also praise God for the opportunities I have for music. University Singers has always been an amazing part of my journey here as well, and it’s made me who I am today. To sum up all of my experiences here at SWAU as a senior about to leave, I can truly say that SWAU has taught me how real Jesus is.

I honestly think it’s the community here there’s nothing like it. if Jesus used community, then why can’t we? I feel like SWAU is such a great place for you to make friends and to be with like-minded people who are on fire for Jesus.

I feel like I’m a very impatient person. There are situations where I feel like I have a sense of urgency to get something done, and I have to remind myself to slow down. This goes with my spiritual life as well, as I’ll always ask God why can’t this be done now? Why can’t this happen now, and then the concept of slowing down makes me realize it’s not in my time, but it’s in God’s time.

A fond SWAU memory that comes to mind is that I got to sing and dance with my Indonesian friends for the village event. It was such an incredible experience, and I’m glad I got to be a part of this event. I think this is the first time they’re doing an AAPI event like this and SWAU and I’m so glad that they’re doing this in my last year of college.

I think the best word to describe what my faith has looked like is the word “still,” just to be present in my life and enjoy the blessings that have already been given to me, like the community here and the opportunity that I get to have an amazing education here.

I feel like I’m the closest to God when I am going through a hard moment in my life, also when I’m with community, I learned that God can use community to reach out to you, and I think that’s an amazing experience that everyone should encounter.

I wrestle with my faith all the time, especially when I’m going through a hard time, and I can see that I’m going through a hard time. I keep reminding myself that faith is trusting God, even when you feel like you don’t understand what’s going on, it’s a continued willingness to keep walking with him no matter what.

I think following Jesus looks like your relationship with your best friend. Talk to Him every day, and it never feels like it’s routine, and you do what He says not because you have to, but because you love Him.

And to be honest, I see God in all of my friends. I look outside, and I look at the trees in the sky and the duck pond across the Mabee Center, and I think about how God created everything. I see God everywhere.