The Experience Journal, housed within BYU’s College of Humanities, gives students a space to reflect on how their experiential learning opportunities shaped their education and worldview.
Now in its sixth year, the journal grew out of a discussion between its founder and editor, Jon Balzotti, and Frank Christianson, former associate dean of the College of Humanities responsible for experiential education.
The journal publishes a small selection of student-submitted essays each year that focus on meaningful experiences and personal growth.
According to Sunshine Simmons, the journal’s associate editor, the goal is to highlight learning that goes beyond traditional classroom instruction.
“I just feel like the Experience Journal really embodies that,” Simmons said, referencing BYU’s emphasis on learning in real-world settings.
Interest in the Experience Journal has grown significantly in the past year. Simmons said last year, the journal received 30 submissions and published 6 essays. This year, that number jumped to more than 60.
Simmons also emphasized that students should not underestimate their chances of being selected.
“I would just love to see more students submit to the journal, because their stories are truly inspiring,” Simmons said.
The student essays selected for publication go through a lengthy editing process that mirrors professional publishing. The associate editor said writers’ essays typically go through multiple rounds of revisions.
“I don’t think I realized how much time and effort goes into creating something like that,” Simmons said.
She added that while the process is demanding, it gives students valuable experience working closely with editors and revising their work over time.
“It kind of gave them a lot of real-world publishing experience,” she said. “I feel like it helps build that bridge between being in a classroom university setting versus going out into the world.”
Sydney Jezik, one of the students published in the Experience Journal, wrote an essay about her study abroad experience, which included traveling to multiple countries across Europe and Asia. Her essay focused on her time in India, which she described as deeply impactful.
“It was a deep and spiritually transformative experience for me,” Jezik said. “I think it made us not be scared of other kinds of people.”
Jezik said her study abroad experience affected how she views other cultures and religions — even herself. Living in unfamiliar environments prompted personal reflection and growth.
“Getting to look into the heart of other religions,” Jezik said, “does something about helping you discover what’s in your own heart.”
She added that the experience strengthened relationships among other students in her program and left a lasting impact. She explained that going through such personal experiences together brought the group closer.
“When you’re bearing your soul in front of other people,” she said, “you incorporate a little bit of them into yourself.”
She added that the experience helped her learn how to build deeper relationships with others, especially during vulnerable moments.
“That experience definitely changed my life in a very permanent way,” she said.
The experience influenced her academic path, leading her to double down on studying Arabic and later travel to Morocco. It also inspired her to start an interfaith book club, write essays and poetry, and intentionally build friendships with people of other faiths.
Beyond cultural learning, she said the experience helped her see God more profoundly in her life and strengthened her relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
Balzotti, the visionary behind the Experience Journal, stated that “experiential learning is not only analytical, but profoundly creative and unexpected. Making sense of life outside the classroom — whether it's internships, work, study abroad — and bringing it back into conversation with theory requires comfort with ambiguity.”
The Experience Journal is distributed for free on campus and invites submissions from students across disciplines who want to reflect on how experiential learning shaped their education.
Students whose work is published receive a $500 scholarship.