Lean toward education, not away from it, Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles told high school students and their parents gathered at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona.
Joining ASU President Michael M. Crow for the university’s Family Education Night at the ASU Gammage auditorium on Feb. 29, Elder Andersen and his wife, Sister Kathy Andersen, encouraged youth to take advantage of educational opportunities and be lifelong learners.
One of the greatest gifts God gives His children, Elder Andersen said, “is to be able to expand our mind and learn something.”
While some want to attend a university, others may be interested in learning the intricacies of air conditioning or how to fix a car, he pointed out. “There are many ways to educate yourself and your mind.
“But when you are your age,” Elder Andersen continued, “lean into education, into growing. Do not lean away from it — lean toward it. It is one of the times of your life you can do it.”
Sister Andersen offered these words of counsel: “Guard your faith. Grow your faith. Keep your faith. And let that enlarge and expand your mind into all these other areas of learning.”
Importance of education
As part of the event, Elder and Sister Andersen and President Crow answered questions about education submitted by students. One question addressed the anxiety high school students feel about the future, specifically choosing a major and career path.
“I would not worry about it,” Elder Andersen said, encouraging students to relax and not put pressure on themselves. “Move counter to what you are feeling, and realize you have time in your life. You do not have to decide all those things when you are 17 or 18. And if it takes you an extra year to determine what you want to study, so what? You are in a process that is very important. …
“You do not avoid the university because you are not sure what you want to do. You just start.”
In response to a question about why education is important to Church members, Elder Andersen showed a video of young men in Benin, Africa, who learned how to weld and are preparing to serve Latter-day Saint missions.
“When you live in such a wonderful culture that we live in where education is so available, please, please don’t treat it as something not of value because it’s so available,” Elder Andersen said.
The video included a quote from President Russell M. Nelson: “Education is very important. I consider it a religious responsibility. The glory of God is intelligence. … Make no mistake about it: Your potential is divine.”
Of this statement, President Crow said: “All we are trying to do with this university we have built is to empower that. ... That’s powerful. I’m going to start using that.”
Elder Andersen talked about each member of the First Presidency and their education — President Nelson went to medical school, President Dallin H. Oaks practiced law, and President Henry B. Eyring taught at Stanford — and said they are “a model we can follow” because “each of them pursued the development of their minds.”
Attend institute
Elder Andersen commended President Crow for fostering an environment at ASU where students can experience spiritual development. Elder Andersen told the students: “Your faith can grow as much here as it can grow in a Church university. … You need not be fearful of losing your faith here.”
Sydney Norton, one of two ASU students who moderated the event, described institute as “one of the best-kept secrets in college.” ASU has institutes on the Tempe campus and its Polytechnic campus in Mesa.
“It’s been a huge blessing in my life, personally, to be able to go to institute classes during such an important and challenging time of life,” Norton told the audience.
The big picture
D’Angelo Perez, the other ASU student moderator, thanked the leaders on stage for sharing their thoughts. “Sometimes for us high school and college students, it’s a little bit hard to see even farther than our next midterm. But I think that it’s really important that you reminded us to look at the big picture when we’re considering our education,” he said.
Sister Andersen said in closing, “The greatest adventure of learning in my life has been the discovery of greater faith in Jesus Christ.”
Elder Andersen added his testimony: “The greatest discoveries of my own life, and the amazing, powerful, unforgettable experiences of the Spirit, have confirmed to me in a sure and certain way that Jesus is our Savior and Redeemer, that He lives, that He is resurrected, and that if we will make Him at the very center of how we see the world and how we see our eternal lives, it will bring us happiness and joy, both in this life and in the life to come.”
