Growth Through Experiential Learning

May 2026

As the oldest of seven children raised on a farm, McCady Creager learned how to work hard and make room for others. It wasn’t until AP courses in high school that Creager set her eyes on BYU. “I loved the idea of studying in a faith-centered environment where I could use that part of my brain as well as the intellectual side of what makes me who I am,” she says.

Her three years of high-school German and a Spanish-speaking mission instilled in her a love of languages, history, and culture. After returning home, she soon found herself in the BYU College of Humanities as a Spanish major.

“I decided to look for opportunities to improve my Spanish speaking ability,” she says. “Writing and reading I wasn’t too worried about, but I wanted to better express myself in everyday conversation.”

An Internship Abroad

An internship opportunity in Spain came at just the right time. Encouraged by her aunt and other mentors to pursue experiential learning, Creager felt inspired to apply. “I had a lot of great role models and mentors give me positive encouragement. They told me that if that’s what I wanted to do, I could do it.” With the support of experiential learning donations, she accepted an internship with the Spanish Ministry of Education.

While in Spain, Creager worked on a team that supported language assistants from around the world who came to collaborate in Spanish classrooms, and she assisted a revision team working on instructional materials used in schools abroad.

She lived in the heart of Madrid with an American woman who had previously taught at Georgetown University and has hosted BYU students for years. Each evening, they shared dinner and stories. “For someone who loves history, who is studying Spanish, living in that location was incredible,” Creager says. “You can’t go down a street without knowing there’s some kind of story that would be meaningful. I experienced the joy of connection with those of another culture through shared language and experience.”

Recognizing Purpose

Looking back, Creager could see that Spain was exactly where she needed to be. “Everywhere I looked, I saw God’s hand, and it made me feel like I’m doing the right thing.” One professor helped her see the long-term impact, that the internship was not only a wonderful experience that happened in her past, but it was the beginning of future experiences. She hopes to carry her love of the Spanish language and culture, coupled with history, into her future academic and career pursuits.

Creager graduated in April 2026 and is enrolled in a master’s program in Hispanic literatures at BYU. She hopes to become a university professor and remains grateful to those who supported her academic journey. “People can choose to spend their money on anything, yet they are thinking about me as a student, even though they don’t know who I am. That’s incredible to me. That’s being a consecrated disciple of Jesus Christ.”

Her advice to other students is simple: “Look for these opportunities so you can have experiential learning to achieve your academic goals. BYU offers so many, and I think that’s awesome.”

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