Students From the College of Fine Arts and Communications (CFAC) Travel Nationally and Internationally Gaining Real-World Experience and Sharing Their Talents
Each spring and summer, students in BYU’s College of Fine Arts and Communications (CFAC) take the knowledge and skills they have learned in the classroom and make their mark on communities across the globe. From Australia to Cambodia, CFAC students are applying what they have learned in the classroom. Read more to see what these students said about their experiences in May of 2025.
School of Communications | Students Film Documentary in Germany and England
A group of six journalism students spent ten days in England filming a documentary and magazine articles about the life of Karl G. Maeser. Students worked alongside journalism professor Kris Boyle and faculty mentors Melissa Gibbs and Alan Neves to travel over 1,400 miles through the English countryside filming 26 interviews. This trip was a continuation of the work that students completed in Germany in winter semester in honor of BYU’s 150th anniversary.
In addition to gathering content for the documentary and BYU’s 150th anniversary, the group had the opportunity to visit the Preston England Temple, the London England Temple, and the Gadfield Chapel. “We got to meet so many amazing people and learn about the gospel,” said student Chloe Chandler. “With our documentary’s focus on Karl G. Maeser, we learned a lot about the founding of BYU and the importance of BYU’s aims to be intellectually enlarging, spiritually strengthening, and character developing.”
Student Chloe Chandler, who has ancestors from England, appreciated the opportunity to reflect on her family’s pioneer heritage. “At the Gadfield Elm Chapel, I had the chance to ponder on how my life has been changed by the gospel because my third great-grandfather met Wilford Woodruff and was baptized into the Church,” said Chandler. “That kind of opportunity to connect with my family history is something I wouldn’t have had without being a part of this project, and I’m so grateful for that.”
School of Communications | Journalism and Sports Media Students Network in New York City
A group of journalism and sports media students and faculty from the School of Communications spent the last week of May in New York City networking with BYU alumni, journalists and communications professionals. The students spent time learning from industry experts at The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, ABC News, Columbia University, the NFL, ProPublica, Thatcher+Co., ION Analytics and more.
"It has been wonderful to learn from so many different communications professionals and BYU alumni here in NYC! I have been inspired by their encouragement to say yes to every opportunity that comes my way, even if the internship, job or experience does not exactly align with my initial expectations,” said journalism student Sierra Martin. “I am so grateful for the amazing BYU Comms faculty that made this trip possible for us — I'm coming back to Provo with renewed motivation to expand my network, continue learning about the different facets of the journalism and be open to whatever God has planned."
Department of Dance | Ballroom Dance Company Asia Tour
The BYU Ballroom Dance Company embarked on their Asia Tour at the beginning of May, traveling to Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand. In Phnom Penh, Cambodia, the company participated in an exchange with local dancers, learning movements that had been passed down for generations. In return, the BYU ballroom dancers shared pieces of their own style. In Phitsanulok, Thailand, students visited Sukhothai Historical Park, the ancient capital of Thailand and a UNESCO World Heritage site. While in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, they performed for a dynamic crowd.
“I’ll always remember this team as one of the most united and consistent teams that I’ve worked with,” said BYU Ballroom director Curt Holman. “They have a special capability of watching out for each other, responding to instructions and then being able to see the bigger picture.”
In between performances, students spent time serving those in Thailand. They cleaned the Wat Krommathon School in Phitsanulok in preparation for classes to start the following week. “What I will remember most is the people,” said student Noah Horlacher in a video on BYU Ballroom’s Instagram. “I think it is incredible to meet such amazing people who are completely different than me but have the light of Christ within them nonetheless.”
Department of Dance | Young Ambassadors in Brazil
Along with performing, the students participated in humanitarian service projects, hosted devotionals and explored iconic landmarks including Sugarloaf Mountain, the Christ the Redeemer statue and Iguazu Falls. One highlight of the experience was working with the Ballet dos Bailarinos Cegos, a ballet company in São Paulo for visually impaired dancers. The Young Ambassadors’ tour coincided with Mother’s Day and the group had the opportunity to service the mothers and children of Associação Paraibana de Doenças Raras (ASPADOR).
Department of Dance | Living Legends in Montana and Canada
BYU Living Legends took their show, “Seasons,” on tour in Montana and Canada. They performed, learned about the history of each place they stopped and participated in outreach and service programs.
One of those outreach activities was with an elementary school in Hamilton, Montana. They also visited the former St. Paul's Indian Residential School in Lethbridge where they learned more about the history and heard powerful stories of resilience from those who endured its hardships.
A few Living Legends students had the opportunity to visit their hometowns while on tour. Treygan Bragg said, "I got to share something that is really important to me with the community that raised me and made me the person that I am today."
Kelina Anderson of the Suquamish Tribe and the Salish Nation in British Columbia shares, "I've been to Canada a couple times and I've always loved it. It's always felt like home — like walking into a home knowing that this is where a huge part of me belongs."
School of Music | BYU Singers Tour
The BYU Singers traveled across Europe sharing their talents and love of music with the world. The choir performed in churches in Italy, Greece, Switzerland and Belgium. Outside of their numerous performances, the group also rode boats on the Amalfi coast, toured the ruins of Pompeii, watched trained glass-blowers make authentic Venetian glass and caught glimpses of the beautiful Alps.
Notably, from May 9–11, BYU Singers participated in the 14th “World Choir Festival on Musical and Competition” in Thessaloniki, Greece against ensembles from Poland, Slovakia, Serbia, Kosovo, and Greece. The BYU Singers were the sole choir representing the United States.
Avery Gunnell, a recent graduate in a Bachelor of Arts in Music, said, “it was so enlightening to see over a dozen other choirs perform with such grace and poise and share their mutual love of choral music with us.” Third-year student in the music program, Trace Glick, added that, “Europe has a much stronger choral tradition than the United States, so it was great to see how appreciative they were of us and the music we make!”
“I think what has surprised me about this experience is how much I have in common both with people in our choir and the people we sang for,” Gunnell commented. “It really gave us a shared sense of humanity, and I was reminded multiple times that we really are children of God.”
School of Music | Chamber Orchestra Australia Tour
Chamber Orchestra is the premier orchestra at Brigham Young University. This Spring, they brought music from the American West to the Australian Outback. The orchestra performed six concerts across Australia, spreading their love of classical music and Jesus Christ. They traveled between Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart and Perth. In Melbourne, they performed the Hallelujah chorus in St. Paul’s Cathedral with the St. Paul choir. In Hobart, they collaborated with the Hobart Chamber Orchestra.
Clara Gunnerson, a violin performance major, said that she learned a lot about musical performance as well as those she performed with: “It was so fun to see my fellow musicians from the Chamber Orchestra in situations other than rehearsals and performances. This human connection, I felt, really helped me bond with them as musicians,” she said. “I know our connections with each other helped us bring our repertoire and performance to another level.”
In the tour’s promotional video, first violinist and concertmaster Mekenna Taylor said that her talent on the violin is a God-given gift. She feels blessed when she communicates God’s love with His people through music. “I think that I can speak for a lot of people in this orchestra when I say that we love this music, and we love our instruments. I hope people in the audience could feel that.”
We are so grateful for the students and faculty who shared their experiences and photos with us! If you participated in a unique learning opportunity in the past year, capture how you #experienceCFAC and enter your essay or visual submission to the Creative Works Contest for a chance to win a cash prize!