Education: The Gift That Keeps on Giving

March 2026

For more than two decades, Kathy Berrett devoted herself to raising five children and helping her husband run their family business. She’s smart, capable, and loves learning. But for years, she never imagined higher education would be possible for her.

That changed in 2020 when Berrett graduated from BYU with a bachelor’s degree in anthropology. A season of discovery followed: conducting ethnographic research at the MTC, teaching seminary part-time, and returning to BYU to pursue a master’s degree in religious education.

“I’ve taken these amazing classes, and I’ve been so grateful for my opportunities,” she says. “But I’ve always had the nagging feeling, ‘What if I can’t remember everything I learn?’”

That concern began to fade during a donor-funded study abroad experience in Egypt and Jordan, which proved foundational to her graduate studies. As she visited archaeological sites, Berrett became fascinated by altars and offering practices found across cultures and centuries. From simple ritual offerings to elaborate stone altars, she was drawn to the role of sacrifice and worship in ancient religious life.

Standing in places like the Karnak temple complex, scripture and ritual came alive in a way no textbook could replicate. The experience shaped her academic direction and approach to research. Since then, she’s written graduate papers on altars and sacrifice—work she describes as “foundational and invaluable” to her thesis research.

Lessons learned abroad now return with clarity. She learned that education shapes perspective, builds empathy, and continues to bless others as “God will bring it to our remembrance.”

Today, Berrett serves as an adjunct professor at UVU and teaches seminary as a Church calling while finishing her master’s degree. “I really enjoy teaching young adults and helping them become empowered and confident.”

For Berrett, education is the gift that keeps on giving.

Learn more about how you can help BYU students in Religious Education here.