Lauren Jackson

Bible study that I attended every day before school.

That's early.

Yeah.

Oh, my God.

I was always late.

I was always late.

I mean, it's astonishing that I didn't crash on the freeway every day when I was just careening down the highway to get there on time.

Because if I didn't graduate from this seminary class, I couldn't attend the big church university called Brigham Young University.

So I had to make it.

I was expected to attend.

And I expected myself for my whole life to attend, find someone to marry, have children and raise them in the church.

So it was an extraordinary shift when I decided to attend a secular university.

Was that a big deal in your family?

It was a huge deal.

I had a guidance counselor who nudged me and nudged me and nudged me.

And finally, I relented and decided to apply for a scholarship.

And when I got it, I was really surprised by how moved I was by the environment, how much I thought I wanted to learn in that space.

And so ultimately, I decided to go.

But I was terrified.

And that was a really, really hard transition for me.