Fall 2006 Photo Contest Winners
1st place is awarded to Brian Smiley for Reflections.
2nd place to Steven Scofelia for Marlborough Sound Sunset.
3rd place to Laurel Wang for The Tiger Temple.
Thanks to our contest sponsor,
STA Travel, for providing the three prizes!
1st Place
Brian Smiley
Studied on a BBA exchange at
Pontificia Universidad Catolica (Santiago, Chile), Fall 2006
Reflections
[click photo for large version]
A kayak sliding across the calm, freezing waters of the Antarctic Peninsula
"My incredible semester abroad ended
with the most spectacular trip of my life. Finishing school,
backpacking through Patagonia, and boarding a boat from Ushuaia,
Argentina (the southernmost city in the world) brought me to the tip
of the Antarctic Peninsula. I spent 8 days exploring the frozen
continent which is the driest, highest, and coldest of all seven
continents, and then returned to Santiago and subsequently, Texas.
My time abroad was filled with adventures all over South America.
From skiing in the Andes, hitchhiking through a National Park,
visiting one of the world's largest deserts, horseback riding on a
pristine beach, and even flying a private plane around the country,
my semester abroad was the pinnacle of my college experience to
date."
2nd Place
Steven Scofelia
Studied on a BBA exchange at University of Otago (Dunedin, New
Zealand), Fall 2006
Marlborough Sound Sunset
[click photo for large version]
I turned around, and the sky was on fire.
"My road trip through New Zealand was one that will not be soon forgotten. The hospitality given by the finest people on earth, combined with postcard worthy views every time you turn around, makes it seem as though you are in a whole different world. Sometimes when thinking back, I am still not sure if it was a dream."
3rd place
Lauren Wang
Studied on a BBA exchange at The Chinese University of Hong Kong
(China), Fall 2006
The Tiger Temple
[click on photo for large version]
$200 USD round trip ticket to Bangkok. $20 USD transportation to Kanchanaburi. $30 USD entrance fee into Tiger Temple. Sitting next to flesh eating tigers and living to tell about it: PRICELESS!
"For me, the best part of studying abroad was all of the incredible opportunities to do things I couldn't even have dreamed of. Hong Kong was a gate way to visit many different countries such as mainland China, Macau, Thailand, and the Philippines. My experience was focused around facing new trials and learning how to not only deal with them, but how to appreciate the opportunity to grow and learn from the experiences. Tigers are supposed to be the most deadly of the big cats, the best swimmers, and the highest jumpers. Having gotten the chance to sit with and pet around 16 different un-sedated tigers, I have experienced nature's full power and beauty. For as long as I live, I will never forget the rush of adrenaline of looking these tigers straight in the eye, and knowing that I am only walking out of the Tiger den alive because they have allowed it."
