The Connecting Language to Life section requires two artifacts that represent how I have been able to apply my language use to my daily living. I am convinced that the two artifacts that I present here illustrate how I have incorporated my language into my life, both personally and professionally. 

The first artifact, titled “Jesús Señor” is a poem that I have written about Jesus Christ. I have a deep love for Jesus Christ and am actively trying to strengthen my relationship with Him. This is one very important aspect of my personal life, and this poem reflects how I am able to connect with Christ in another language. Ever since I have learned the Spanish language, I have, in many occasions, read my scriptures and prayed to my Heavenly Father in Spanish. It is such an amazing experience because participating in a relationship with God in another language brings along with it a different perspective because it is through language that we understand the world around us. The words that are available to us in a language are what allow us to have ideas about the world and to understand it. The poem that I wrote represents some of Jesus Christ has done for us, and I was able to convey this in Spanish using proper meter and rhyming schemes that I learned in my Hispanic Literature class at BYU.

The second artifact describes my professional incorporation of Spanish and how it has served me in helping those in need. Right when I returned from serving a Spanish-speaking mission in Honduras for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I got certified as a Spanish medical interpreter. I had no idea that a few years later this certificate would prove to be very useful as I started to volunteer for the Volunteer Care Clinic in Provo, UT. This clinic offers free healthcare to those who do not have health insurance and that fall below the federal poverty line. The grand majority of the patients that come to our clinic are hispanic and thus require help from those that speak both Spanish and English. I have volunteered with this organization for almost 2 years now, and it has allowed me to use my Spanish to help those in need. I feel that the artifact that I have included demonstrates how I have been able to help so many of the Spanish-speaking population to get the help that they need so that they can find healing and hope. 

My education in the Spanish language here at BYU has truly prepared me to use my Spanish in the professional world because it has pushed me to improve my Spanish by learning new vocabulary and by using it constantly in professional situations such as in presentations and teaching situations. It has been extremely valuable to have opportunities to employ my Spanish in new and challenging ways in my classes. In order to continue to improve my abilities in the Spanish language in the professional field, I plan to keep up with my Spanish (and my medical Spanish especially) in order to communicate with patients in my future career as a doctor. My ability in the Spanish language will continue to open doors for me and will allow me to connect with more people who need my help and contributions. I am so grateful for what BYU has taught me, and I look forward to continuing to implement what I have learned into my daily life.