Last day of class sermon

Today was the last day of my capstone class. (aka: senior project course.) [Insert celebration here!]

The last day of class in my introduction to PR class (Comms 235) my professor, Michael Smart, talked specifically to the women of the class. (Women kind of dominate the PR program. Woot.) He said it is wonderful to see women in the field and that they do a fantastic job. However, there is no greater calling for a woman, than as wife and mother.

Today, almost five years later, I had my last class in the PR program, Comms 485, and my professor, Dr. Robert Wakefield, expressed his appreciation to women in the field of PR and how well they do, but that there is no greater calling for a woman than to be a wife and mother. He wasn't saying this to deter us from careers or to convince us of what we should already know. He was simply reminding us of something we already do know.

I have seen it in PR classes myself, but Dr. Wakefield shared an experience of asking students in one of his classes what they wanted to do in the PR field. One said he wanted to work in non-profit PR. Another said she wanted to work with a large agency. On and on they went, until they came to one girl. She kind of had her head down a little bit and when asked what she wanted to do, she quietly and almost hesitantly responded, "Be a mother."

Why do we sometimes feel ashamed for saying that? Why do we feel that we will be mocked or considered a "waste of an education" for wanting to gain an education but wanting nothing more than to be a mother? There is no greater purpose, career or calling!

My professor stood up and, with tears in his eyes, told us, how much he cares about us. He spoke of commitment, not just to our respective careers but most of all to our Master, the Savior Jesus Christ.

Wow. I love BYU and I love my professors.