Skip to Navigation
Skip to Content

October 21, 2011

Life in Abundance

Woan Lowe

When Woan Lowe joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a teenager in St. Louis, Missouri, her family stopped talking to her and withheld financial support for her anticipated college education. So Lowe dropped her extracurricular high school activities and got a job to save for her future.

As a sophomore at Brigham Young University, Lowe participated in a mentored lab. I had no experience, but I dove in and was fascinated by the process of research, she says. Mentoring happens all across campus; one-on-one or in small groups in labs and studios, faculty mentors are improving the BYU experience for thousands of students each semester.

Lowe is now a senior and will graduate this fall with a degree in molecular biology. She says, "some people have dreams of attaining stardom or of climbing the corporate ladder.  Instead of these, I want to be I want to be a scientist."  She will begin a BYU master's program this fall.

Since Lowe has been a student at BYU, her mother has softened toward her beliefs and even attended Lowe’s wedding reception. Says Lowe: “I’ve never regretted my decision to join the Church. Looking back I’m grateful for the experiences that I’ve had as a Latter-day Saint and as a BYU student.”

To those who have aided her education she says: “I am truly grateful. Because of you an education at BYU was attainable, and because of your generosity I had a better BYU experience.”