Education Abroad Photo Contest
The annual U of I Education Abroad Photo Contest aims to give returnees a way to visually share their powerful international experiences with the Vandal community.
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Hayden Hulse - Elephant Haven Sanctuary, Kanchanaburi, Thailand - 2019 Vandals' Choice Grand Prize Winner, Engaging with the Culture Category Winner
Hayden Hulse - Elephant Haven Sanctuary, Kanchanaburi, Thailand - 2019 Vandals' Choice Grand Prize Winner, Engaging with the Culture Category Winner
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Marissa Wear - Winner- New Zealand - Two U of I students proudly displaying a Vandals flag and sporting an Idaho Vandals sweatshirt on the descend of Tongariro Alpine Crossing
Logan Heflin - Ao Nang Beach- Krabi, Thailand - Throughout my time in Thailand, I tried to embrace everything with, "arms wide open;" that is, to approach every foreign aspect of the country with an open mind, and experience as much of it as I could with the time that I had.
Jamie Waters - Thailand- I experienced a night market fish pedicure where little fish remove your dead skin.
Nicole Amudson- Vandal pride in Lagos, Portugal!
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Benjamin DeRuwe- In Ireland, the term Gaeltacht refers to a district where the government recognizes that the Irish language is the primary language of the region. The sign's location is in Galway County.
Elizabeth Buxton- This picture was taken at the Dujiangyan Panda Base just outside of Chengdu, China where I volunteered for the day. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that opened my heart even more to the rich and beautiful culture of China.
Eve Buck - This is a photo of a flamenco performance we saw in the caves in Granada, Spain, where it is believed that the art of flamenco began. It was a true engagement in Andalusian, Spanish culture.
Ezra Jones - At Perez Chapel Church in Accra Ghana. - "Bridging the Cultural and Racial Gap through Worship"
Isabel Robles - Visiting a ceramic and artisanal cooperative Fes, Morocco. I was able to learn about the process of how they produced their ceramics. It's amazing how much skill, hard-work, talent, and creativity it takes to make these items.
Jamie Waters - One of my favorite memories from my time in Thailand was participating in the Flower Festival. Dressed and made up by locals in traditional manner, we introduced ourselves to the judges in Thai.
Logan Heflin - Singburi, Thailand - We voluntarily taught English to novice monks. They were some of the most cheerful, lighthearted kids I have ever met.
Marissa Wear- Living with and caring for the wildlife in the land down under is very important to the Aussie culture! This photo, taken at Maleny Botanic Gardens & Bird World, captures the pure joy that animals provide.
Nathan Bush - This picture is from a Thai softball tournament. My classmates and I played in a university wide tournament with them.
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Roslyn McCormack - Category Winner- Raven at the Cliffs of Moher. - Ireland's most famous landmark and the set of some scenes from "The Princess Bride" and "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince."
Benjamin DeRuwe - The Cliffs of Moher ranks among the most visited tourist site in Ireland. Located in County Clare, Ireland.
Elizabeth Buxton - This picture captures the essence of the Great Wall of China in Beijing. The great expense of the hand-built wall was nothing less than mind-blowing to me, and served to cement my wonder in the culture.
Eve Buck - This is a photo taken in the ruins of Pompeii in Naples, Italy. It is an example of one of the residents of the town that were frozen in time when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD.
Ezra Jones - Cape Coast Slave Castle, Cape Coast, Ghana - "Only the Solemn sun sets upon the Castle Walls that once housed some of the greatest atrocities our world has ever known"
Hayden Hulse - Santorini, Greece
Isabel Robles - This picture was taken inside the Alhambra in Granada, Spain. The Alhambra is the most iconic landmark of Granada and people from all over Spain go to visit this Palace.
Jamie Waters - Chiang Rai, Thailand - Wat Rong Khun, unlike most temples with a wide color palette, the white color of this temple symbolizes the purity of the Buddha.
Logan Heflin - Bagan, Myanmar - The hot air balloons come out every morning just as sun crests over the horizon. Bagan is an ancient civilization home to over 2000 pagodas, my friend and I were actually sitting on top of a pagoda when I took this picture.
Marissa Wear- The sun gleams over a portion of the famous Twelve Apostles on a brisk afternoon in Victoria, Australia.
Nathan Bush - This photo was taken in Chiang Rai at Wat Rong Khun. I am pictured in the traditional Thai greeting, the "Wai"
Nicole Amudson - Plaza de España in Sevilla, Spain
Thys Ballard - Sanctuary of Loyola, Azpeitia, Spain. This is the ceiling of a sanctuary built around Iñigo de Loyola's birthplace. Iñigo de loyola founded the Jesuits.
Wylie Keele - This photo features a young Puntarenas boy who was foot-racing with his older brother on the beach during sunset. Along the beach were a series of culturally relevant statues and structures that have withstood the countries' intense weather for years.
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Nathan Bush - Winner- This selfie was taken at Doi Luang National Park outside of Chiang Mai, Thailand. These monks were 19-21 years old and showed us a popular cliff jumping spot of theirs.
Benjamin DeRuwe - This is Zugspitze, which is the highest point in Germany. At a high of 9,718 ft above sea level. Zugspitze is located in Southern Germany's Wetterstein Mountains.
Elizabeth Buxton - This photo was taken along the Li River in Guilin, China. My classmates and I took a raft tour down the river to see the beautiful mountains and landscapes, and we were able to capture this view from the docks.
Eve Buck - This photo was taken inside the Louvre museum in Paris, where the walls and the ceilings are completely covered in incredible artwork!
Ezra Jones - Mount Afadja, Volta Region, Ghana - "Stand Tall and see the world, Sit down and miss the miracle of it all"
Isabel Robles - Sahara Desert, Morocco- On an excursion to Morocco, we spent a couple days camping in the desert. The Sahara is truly one of the most breathtaking places I've ever been and my trip to Morocco was one of the most amazing experiences in my life.
Jamie Waters - At the Flower Festival, many of the locals stopped me to take pictures because they thought that I looked like the Thai princess. This experience allowed me to not only look, but feel like a local.
Logan Heflin - Chiang Mai, Thailand- Yi Peng is celebrated with lanterns that represent the bad luck, illness, or hardship of the previous year. By letting the lantern go, people are cleansing themselves so they can start anew in the coming year. Thousands of lanterns illuminated the sky around us.
Marissa Wear - A curious roo poses for a photo at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Queensland, Australia.