Egan is pursuing a Master of Science in health care administration at Texas Tech University and an MBA in cyber security at The University of Texas at Tyler. She was raised in a highly conservative Christian household and community. Egan’s progression to secularism started during adolescence with conflicting values of the Jehovah’s Witnesses doctrine and the medical and mental health community. Egan was removed from fellowship and the congregation was mandated to shun her.
“The Jehovah’s Witnesses religion was my entire identity apart from being an African American woman,” said Egan, who now identifies as an atheist and humanist. She is involved with the Freedom from Religion Foundation, Recovering from Religion, The Dallas-Plano Atheists, Metroplex Atheists, Freethinkers of Fort Worth, and Black Nonbelievers. Egan says the Secular Student Alliance is essential to helping nonreligious youth gain the comprehension and willpower to question the foundations of their upbringing and develop a humanist future.
Each student winner received $1,000.
