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Weeks after Abby Hobbs returned from a Mormon mission in Vancouver, she was back on campus at Brigham Young University.
Her January return to Provo "gave me a type of fulfillment and structure," said the 21-year-old journalism major. Hobbs' parents surprised her by bankrolling the mission she had saved up for — allowing her to put the money toward school expenses and pick up where she left off freshman year.
Education advocates hope more young "sister" missionaries will follow Hobbs' path — directly back to the classroom.
"Get right back into school and get that momentum," said Susan Madsen, a Utah Valley University management professor who studies women and leadership. "Some parents say come back and work after your mission. That's not a good strategy."
The strict schedules, detailed assignments and personal reflection required of young missionaries help many students become more disciplined and attentive, Madsen said — traits that can pay off at school. Hobbs, for her part, notes that she earned straight A's in her first semester back at BYU.
"My study habits have definitely improved," Hobbs said.
But her mission had a wider effect, she said, helping her to carefully weigh majors and consider how she might matter most. So far, she believes, a career in storytelling and a commitment to service will help her reach that end.
The more time away from campus, Madsen warned, the higher the chance is that "life gets in the way" of a degree, especially for women.
Early anecdotal reports suggest that UVU's female students are following that advice, diving back into the books at the Orem campus. But it's too soon to tell whether the scenario will play out at Utah's other colleges and universities. Enrollment numbers from the Utah System of Higher Education won't be available until October.
Hobbs, a sophomore, said she worked her old high school job at Kneaders Bakery & Cafe for just a few weeks after returning around Thanksgiving. Shortly afterward, she was relieved to be back at BYU, where she reconnected with service projects, a major she likes and good friends.
Hobbs felt a new "maturity — as well as security and confidence" that she cultivated during her 18 months away.
The 21-year-old student is one drop in a historic wave of young Mormons who joined the faith's global proselytizing force after The Jesus Christ Church of Latter-day Saints, starting in fall 2012, allowed members to serve missions at younger ages. Male missionaries now can go out at 18, instead of 19; female missionaries can serve at 19, down from 21.
And LDS Church-owned BYU, for its part, is celebrating the boost in enrollment after a 10 percent drop during the past two years.
About 63 percent of BYU students are now enrolled after their missionary service, which lasts two years for men and 18 months for women. In 2012, before the age shift, roughly 15,400 students, or 46 percent, had served missions.
"BYU now has more returned missionaries on campus," the university trumpeted on its website, "than ever before."
The uptick largely can be attributed to young women such as Hobbs. The rate of male BYU students who have served missions has jumped from 79 percent in 2012 to 88 percent this semester. For women, the number has skyrocketed — from 10 percent to 33 percent.
Meredith Demourdant, a BYU political science major, was one of the first to return last fall after her own proselytizing stint in Vancouver.
"All the sudden, all of these girls had a year and a half of real-world experience to bring to class and church meetings," Demourdant said, putting them on "equal footing with the boys."
More young women are sharing their perspectives in classes, she added, which has "changed the maturity level" at school.
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