Study Abroad Photo Contest

"Waking up to the beautiful view of countless vineyards, one of five gorgeous towns on hills, and the endless clear, blue sea will always be in my heart. Cinque Terre is one of those amazing places that no matter what angle you take a picture from, it looks like a postcard. Eating freshly caught fish, drinking homemade Limoncello, and walking the Via dell Amore was amazing. By far, the most memorable part of this trip was sailing into the middle of the sea where Cinque Terre was almost invisible, diving into the clear ocean, and seeing all the colorful fish swim past me. This is a memory I will never forget."

"Going to Queensland, Australia for my mid-semester break was an awesome decision. I was able to experience bushwalking through the rainforest, SCUBA diving in the Great Barrier Reef, and to top off my visit, I impulsively decided to go Bungy Jumping. This has to be one of the toughest things I have ever done. Deciding to jump off of a 50 meter ledge, just thinking about it still gives me the chills."

"After flying alone to the most remote island on earth, my instant islander friend Rosita helped me rent a [fast] four-wheeler for $30 a day and find a place to sleep. I spent days exploring the tiny island's coastline, volcanoes, and ancient quarries surrounded by Moai (the ancient heads behind the rooster) on my ATV and by horseback. As I sat down for lunch one day at the empty Ahu Tongariki on the coast, this little rooster friend decided to hang out with me in typical random South American fashion. Seven months in Chile, Ecuador, Argentina, and Uruguay was 'just delightful."

"Studying abroad in New Zealand made it difficult to choose just one photo for this contest. Every place I went was the next "most beautiful place I had ever seen". This picture was taken about half way through an eight hour hike through Tongariro National Park on the north island of New Zealand. The "Tongariro Alpine Crossing" is rated as THE best one day hike in the world...and there's nothing for me to argue there. The mountain in the background is Mt. Ngaruhoe, but most people know it better as Mt. Doom from the Lord of the Rings series. Hiking up, down, and through the peaks of three mountains on this gorgeous day was one of the highlights of my study abroad experience, the views were absolutely amazing. And of course...I rep the horns wherever I go."

"One of the most amazing opportunities while studying abroad is being able to easily travel to neighboring countries. This is a photo taken when I got the chance to ride on the head of an elephant while taking in the beautiful landscape of Thailand."

"The highlight of my semester abroad was probably my trip to Croatia. This was a beautiful day, and we rented a speedboat to go explore other parts of Hvar Island. We anchored on this beach,but it was a private resort so eventually we got kicked out. But the time we spent exploring this amazing spot was something I'll never forget."