For the “Connecting Learning to Life” section of my capstone portfolio, I chose to

include several works from my Spanish 399R (Academic Internship) class. I chose these artifacts
because they are some of my best academic works, and they are excellent examples of both the
personal and professional use of the Spanish language in my life. These artifacts definitely
demonstrate the criteria for this section of my Spanish portfolio.

According to the portfolio requirements, my artifact on the professional use of language

had to show how I “have used or anticipate using Spanish or Portuguese in your professional
life.” One of the possible artifacts was a description of service to the Spanish-speaking
community. I decided to post my about my internship with the Children’s Advocacy Center
Foundation in the summer of 2020. The internship fulfilled three elective credits for me in the
aforementioned 399R class. However, the best part of my experience was getting to serve the
Spanish-speaking community of Las Vegas—especially abused children and their families.
According to their website, the Children’s Advocacy Center Foundation’s mission is to “help and
heal children and their families who have been traumatized by abuse and neglect. Because every
child deserves a voice, we provide vital services when they need it the most.” Unfortunately, the
CACF had almost no resources or materials for the large Spanish-speaking community in Las
Vegas. Among other responsibilities, I had the opportunity to translate several documents that
educate Spanish-speakers on recognizing sexual abuse and protecting their children from it. One
of those documents has been posted on my portfolio. The other document posted is a report on
my time serving the CACF (which continued even after the end of the academic term).

The main portfolio requirement for personal use of the language was to show how I have
used Spanish in my personal life, outside of my two-year missionary service several years ago.
Some of the possible artifacts for this section of the portfolio included creative works, such as a
story or a musical composition. Both of the documents I attached came from my Spanish 360
class (Intro to Translation) with Professor Hague. One of the documents was a translation of a
short story in both English and Spanish, while the other was a translation of a favorite Spanish
song of mine, Mi último día by Tercer Cielo.

I feel that I have developed many skills in using Spanish in my professional and personal
life as a Spanish major at Brigham Young University. The most important skills I gained came
from serving the Spanish-speaking community of Las Vegas through the CACF. That internship,
along with classes such as the Intro to Translation class, helped me to bridge the gap between the
culture of my native tongue and that of my second language. I definitely plan to continue using
and developing these skills in the future. After I graduate from BYU, I will continue my
education by attending the Mortuary Science program at Salt Lake Community College. I look
forward to serving the Spanish-speaking community of the Utah valley as they mourn the deaths
of loved ones. These skills will help me to console them in their native language during some of
the most difficult times of their lives.