Claire Sorensen Bagley, Class of 2016 & 2018

Learning Abroad Program: Intensive Spanish Language and Culture in Oviedo, Spain

U Background: BA in Economics, 2016; MS in Nutrition Science and Dietetics, 2018

Current Position: Recent Graduate

My Story

I joined the learning abroad program on a bit of a whim. My dad served a two-year mission to northern Spain when he was nineteen, and I had grown up hearing the language and stories of the culture. I had always wanted to visit Spain and learn to speak Spanish, and at nineteen I randomly made friends with some other students who were going on the Oviedo trip, so I signed up as well. 

Up to this point in my life, the program has had almost no bearing on my career path. I graduated with a degree in Economics (BA, minor in Spanish- a minor I thoroughly enjoyed) and recently completed a Master's in Nutrition Science and Dietetics. I have not yet begun looking for a job, but during my graduate work I volunteered at a clinic where I provided nutrition counseling in Spanish and translation for other clinicians as needed. I would imagine that this skill will serve me well in the field of healthcare. Two years after visiting Oviedo I was called to serve a Spanish-speaking mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Boston, and I was very grateful to have had a Spanish immersion opportunity prior to that experience because without it, it would have been very difficult to gain a command of the language.

The most important lessons I gained from the Spain experience had to do with the people I met. I connected with the members of my church there: a small, close group that welcomed me, provided friendship, fed me, rescued me when I got lost in the city late one night, drove me and my brother (who joined me at the end of the five week program) and all our luggage to the bus station so we could continue our travels in Madrid (where we were housed and fed by another family from our church whom we had never before met). Reflecting on all of this selfless service seven years later still fills me with a pang of gratitude and humility. All in all, Spain was a remarkable time for me to connect spiritually and deepen my commitment to the things I believe. Learning Spanish was a fantastic bonus.