Students Recognized Across the World for Dedication and Accomplishments

College of Fine Arts and Communications

Students from the College of Fine Arts and Communications travel internationally on study abroads, competitions and internships to gain real-world experience and share their talents

Each year, students in the BYU College of Fine Arts and Communications take the knowledge and skills they have learned in the classroom and make their mark on their local and global communities. From China to Brazil, these students are having inspiring learning opportunities all over the globe while having real-world experiences.

Read more about how students from the College of Fine Arts and Communications answered President Kevin J. Worthen’s call for inspired learning during May:

China Spectacular

Dozens of students from across the college traveled to China this summer for the China Spectacular. They performed in multiple cities and experienced some of the most iconic places in China, including the Great Wall and the Ming Tombs.

“As I reflect on my time in China, it's clear that all of my knowledge and ability means very little without people to share it with,” said Tyler Persson, a member of the International Folk Dance Ensemble. “This tour was about people, not about performances. The interactions that we had with people in lobbies, on the streets, or in any other daily comings and goings were poignant reminders of this.”

The groups that toured in the China Spectacular included Ballroom Dance Company, Chamber Orchestra, Cougarettes, the Dunk Team, International Folk Dance Ensemble, Living Legends, Vocal Point and Young Ambassadors.

“Because there were eight different performing groups on the tour, we were able to meet others and become friends,” said Susan Kupferer, the assistant stage manager on tour. “Art is a medium that transcends language.”

In addition to connecting with others through art while on tour, a few BYU students were able to use their knowledge of the Chinese language to further build relationships.

“I speak Mandarin Chinese, and I feel so blessed for that. Every opportunity I had to talk to a child, talk to a member of the audience or to translate allowed me to increase my love for the Chinese people,” said McKenna Wright, a member of Young Ambassadors. “The feeling that I was being used as a tool in God's hands was apparent to me throughout the whole tour.”

Communications Mentored-Learning Experience in Spain

Five communications students and three professors traveled to Spain to capture the experience of Spanish language majors walking the Camino de Santiago, a network of pilgrimages leading to the shrine of the apostle Saint James the Great in northwestern Spain. The footage will be turned into a documentary about the Camino de Santiago, why people walk it and what it means to be a pilgrim.

“Our communications students conducted themselves so professionally. They are passionate about the project and hardworking,” said professor Dale Cressman. “We were very fortunate to have this experience. I believe it begins to fulfill the vision of our school’s director, Ed Carter — to get our students out into the world in mentored learning situations where they can do challenging but exceptional things.”

BYU communications students shadowed and interviewed BYU Spanish students on the Camino de Santiago study abroad while they were making the pilgrimage as well as others they met along the way. Additionally, they learned about Gregorian chants from Spanish monks and sang hymns from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint hymnbook for people in the cathedral at Silos.

“Everywhere I went on the Camino, people told me they had met one or more of our students,” said Cressman. “In every single instance, those people told me how impressed they were with them.”READ MORE