Senior Spotlight: Will Urban

Will Urban is a Video Film Production major from Muskegon, MI. While he was on the college search, he was planning on going into criminal justice. Will first heard about Spring Arbor University in his junior year of high school, when a guy he’d never met before was talking about colleges with him at work. The man spoke very highly of the criminal justice program at SAU, so Will decided to check it out. After looking at the website and doing some research, he initially decided not to go to Spring Arbor but decided to tour anyway. After his tour, he had his heart set on going to SAU. 

“I really think it was God calling me here. He has changed my life while I’ve been here.”

Looking into Will’s past, it’s no wonder why he ended up pursuing a degree in Video Film Production. Video has always been a part of Will’s life. When he was around 5 or 6 years old, he asked his brother to help him set up a YouTube channel and to teach him how a camera works. Later on, Will and his friends put together a video for a contest in his hometown and they got third place and each received $100. 

On top of being a Video Film Production major, Will worked in the Admissions his sophomore year and half of his junior year. He currently works for the Marketing & Communications office and the Almost Chapel team, creating videos for both as he’s gained real-world experience through his on-campus jobs. Will usually does narrative stories for his classes, so these jobs give him some experience in different video styles. One of Will’s takeaways was to get a job on campus, and that is where you gain a great amount of knowledge and experience during college, and he did exactly that.

Will grew up as a “rowdy” and “wild” type of pastor’s kid. He wasn’t as close to God as you would expect a pastor’s kid to be, but coming to SAU has been spiritually life-changing for him. His friends and other surrounding students have encouraged him to go back to church, read the Bible, and have discussions about God with others. Will had experienced so much transformation that he felt called to get baptized in his sophomore year of college. He then decided to go on a spring break mission trip through the school to Alaska, where he wanted to build relationships with his peers and make more college memories. But Will witnessed so much more than that. 

“I did a mission trip to Alaska and there was this guy at one of the churches that we went to. He came in on crutches, played guitar, and was singing. After one of the messages, a group of us went over and prayed over him for healing and the man got up and walked out carrying the crutches with him! I just saw some pretty crazy and cool stuff. It changed my life.” 

At the beginning of the year, Will was unsure if he was going to get a job after college. He was prepared to enter the field, which is what he expected, but wasn’t sure where exactly he would end up. Will starts his career this summer at WLNS Channel 6 in Lansing, MI as a Promotions Producer working with local businesses. He is also beginning another journey in life and getting married in June! 

Congratulations, Will, and good luck!

Written by SAU Marketing student Xandria Stephenson