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TechnoratiPopa, however, responded that university meant "unity among diversity."
"It makes me very sad that my freedom of speech would be censored when it comes to my beliefs," Popa wrote in a reply e-mail to Hurley. "The fact that I cannot thank Jesus (or someone from another religion) because of school policy shows me that UCLA officials do not understand what diversity and respect really means."
In the last e-mail Hurley sent to Popa, according to the Facebook posting, the faculty adviser stated the department's policy and the Official Words of Wisdom Disclaimer before capping off with this retort:
"If you prefer, Christina, I can read none of what you wrote."
Hurley did not immediately respond to a request by The Christian Post for comment.
While things have worked out for Popa, a former Colorado high school student who has been fighting a legal battle to defend her right to invoke Jesus during a 2006 graduation speech was not so fortunate.
On May 29, a federal appeals court dismissed Erica Corder's claims that high school officials violated her free-speech rights by screening her graduation speech and forcing her to issue a formal apology after tweaking her valedictorian speech to include mention of Jesus.
Liberty Counsel, which is representing Corder in the case, plans to appeal the case to the Supreme Court.
"No high school or college graduate should have to renounce Jesus Christ as a price of their high school or college diploma," said Klingenschmitt, who actively defends public prayers in Jesus' name. "Jesus is not an illegal word. We should not be ashamed to speak his name in public.
"For any government to demand that we apologize for speaking the name of Jesus is to impose their illegal nonsectarian religion upon us," he added. "They are shoving their nonsectarian religion down our throats, not the other way around."
According to UCLA's Commencement Web site, the Molecular, Cell, & Developmental Biology Graduation will take place Saturday, June 13, starting at 9:00 a.m.
Popa originally wanted the following statement read:
"'I want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I also want to thank my father who passed away 3 years ago, for teaching me to always do my best and thus motivating me to pursue the sciences. I want to thank my mother for supporting me in school as well as my sisters and brother for encouraging me and my friends for making college fun.' I plan to work in a research lab or become a dietician."
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