I was raised in the LDS church and have held a variety of callings, including activities committee, nursery, and stake Relief Society presidency, though my favorite church service was as a teacher in Relief Society and Sunday School. I served a full-time mission when I turned 21, and served as a temple ordinance worker for a year after I got back from my mission. I’m currently attending graduate school. I love to read, play with my cat, and watch cat videos on YouTube.
When I was growing up, my parents always made it clear that they had very high expectations for me, which included doing well in school and getting as much education as possible, to prepare me for a career with which I could support myself financially. I was never made to feel that being a girl meant that I couldn’t or shouldn’t do these things. My parents never implied that I should limit my aspirations because my “real purpose” was to be a stay-at-home mom; they never suggested that I didn’t need to worry about preparing to enter the workforce because “my husband would provide for me.”
As an adult, I’ve gotten to know many women who received the opposite message from their parents and from the church, and it ended up hurting them. I don’t want that to happen to any more women. I would like to see the LDS Church become a place where ALL women feel empowered to do the things they feel are right in their own lives, whether that means serving a mission, getting married, providing for their family, or blessing others with the power of the priesthood. This is why I believe women should be ordained.