Why would a gifted woman become a nun?

The National Review online has an interesting interview with Mary Anne Marks, a recent Harvard valedictorian who delivered her commencement address in Latin and is now on her way to becoming a nun. The interviewer, obviously perplexed that such a gifted young woman would make this particular life choice, probes her for some background and explanation.

My favorite part of the interview comes right at the very beginning:

Interviewer: You are a Harvard graduate. Aren’t you surrendering all the possibilities that entails by entering a convent.

Mary Anne Marks: Yes, if one doesn’t see becoming a well-educated, intellectually alive nun as one of the possibilities.

It’s a fascinating interview worth reading.