As a senior, I am one of those students that was mentioned in Thursday’s column titled “Girls hoping for ring by spring should aim higher.”
I had a ring on my finger the spring before my senior year and I am getting married one week after graduation.
What concerned me about this article was not the desire for women to aim to achieve high goals, but rather that they could not possibly do this if they get married during or shortly after college.
Majoring in engineering is not a major you declare if your only goal is to find a husband. Sure, most of the guys you meet may make a lot of money in the future, but the chances of you being able to stay at Baylor long enough decreases dramatically if you are not actually passionate about the field.
So, it is easy to say I did not take out thousands of dollars in loans just to find myself a husband. Marriage and professional goals are not mutually exclusive. Although I am getting married, I am planning on pursuing my master’s and my doctorate in electrical engineering. I hope to become a leading researcher in the industry or in academia.
However, I also know that I do not have to accomplish these things first.
Relationships matter a lot to me: friends, mentors, family and fiance. All of these people enrich my life.
It is my fiance’s support of my dreams that made me desire to marry him. It is OK to not want to give up relationships because you have not accomplished all of your professional goals. A woman can find someone who wants to walk with her and encourage her to achieve those goals.
The points made in the article were not all incorrect. In order to engage in a relationship to your best ability, you do have to know your identity.
Women should aim to achieve their highest goals. However, it does not mean that those who choose to marry early lack goals.
Erin Autrey
Spring Senior
