2019-20 Bing Overseas Studies Photo Contest
Photo Contest Winners, from top
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Creative Bonding by Therese Santiago
Academic Pursuit Winner. Australia Seminar, Summer 2018-19
“One of the most rewarding parts of our seminar was that our assignments were all geared toward getting us to respond creatively to the museum artifacts, historical sights, and lectures. In this photo, we are sitting in the hallway of our dorm after a long day in Sydney, drawing, collaging, and writing our reflections to everything we saw. These nights were precious opportunities for us to bond through our learning and really remember the experience.”
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Australia through Art by Therese Santiago
Academic Pursuit Honorable Mention. Australia Seminar, Summer 2018-19
“Despite the jet lag and exhaustion after flying for 15-20 hours, we managed to have an excellent first day in Sydney. This was photo taken that day during our first excursion to the Museum of Contemporary Art, where we learned about the importance of art in sharing Australia's history and reclaiming Aboriginal identity.”
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Chateau d'If by Evan Peng
Bing Trips Winner. Paris, Winter 2019-20
“Our Bing Trip was to Marseille, on the Mediterranean coast of France. Here, we're exiting the island castle (and, at one point, prison that inspired The Count of Monte Cristo) of Chateau d'If on the way back to the mainland.”
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Giraffe Sighting by Somer Bryant
Bing Trips Honorable Mention. Cape Town, Summer 2018-19
“Giraffe Sighting Description: This photo was taken on a safari organized for the Bing trip to Askari Game Lodge, and it captured one of my most memorable experiences in Cape Town. Our safari car got unbelievably close to this family of giraffes and unlike many of the other animals, the giraffes were not at all afraid to eat in front of us or return our gaze. This photo was also taken on my 19th birthday!”
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Chile despertó (Chile woke up) by Zach Clayton
Cultures, Customs, and Traditions Winner. Santiago, Autumn 2019-20
“I feel fortunate to have witnessed a key moment in Chilean history during my study abroad. Protests and strikes have pushed the social revolution into the political sphere, as Chile will hold a referendum on the constitution later this year. Coupled with discussions in my classes and my homestay with my wonderful host mom Cindy and brother Ignacio, I learned firsthand the daily economic obstacles facing Chileans. In the photo, we see the Chilean flag and below it, the flag of the Mapuche Nation.”
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The Dome of the Rock by Emma Rashes
Cultures, Customs, and Traditions Honorable Mention. Israel Seminar, Summer 2018-19
“Visiting the Dome of the Rock was a unique cultural experience. Throughout our visit to Israel our group had the chance to explore sites important to our own religions while learning from others in the group about the sites meaningful to them. Our visits to religious sites allowed for deep reflection about our own identities and conversation and learning within our group.”
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Flamingo Mirror by Nancy Lopez-Alvarez
Photo Favorite Winner. Santiago, Autumn 2019-20
“There were so many beautiful sights in Chile, but this is one of my favorites. I love the pink flamingo mirrored on the lake. Most of all, I was amazed by how life insists on thriving even in the harshest conditions. I saw not only an abundance of flamingos, but also lizards and other birds in the hot, salty habitat.”
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One Last Look by Evan Peng
Photo Favorite Honorable Mention. Paris, Winter 2019-20
“The way my quarter in Paris ended will definitely be a story to tell when I'm older. This picture was taken on my last day in Paris. Earlier that day, I had still been awake at 2 AM when the announcement was made that the US would be closing its borders with Europe. Although it became clear that citizens would not be affected, I did not want to risk flights being cancelled, so I promptly changed my ticket to leave in the late afternoon. I packed hurriedly, got a little bit of sleep, and made sure to catch my host parents before they left for a family gathering to inform them of the development. A thing I should mention is that that day was actually also my birthday. So, instead of the nice dinner I had planned, I had a simple lunch with the one friend who hadn't changed flight plans (she's Canadian) and then hung out for a little bit at the Sacré Coeur, a church on a hill overlooking the city. It was the first place other than the Stanford Center and my host apartment that I had gone when arriving in Paris, and it ended up being my last, and I honestly will never forget that birthday ever.”
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Starry Night in the Outback by Paul Phan
Urban & Natural World Winner. Australia, Autumn 2019-20
“Nestled in the Australian Outback lies a motel owned by an old couple who wanted to escape the urban and oftentimes overcrowded coastlines. In the back of their motel lies an observatory they built which they have used to admire the stars and constellations of the Southern Hemisphere like nobody else can. For groups like Stanford’s which was starting their first course in Terrestrial Ecology and Conservation, the couple would take a dozen or so students out each night to do a stargazing tour. They showed planets like Saturn and their moons, explain the significance of constellations like Sagittarius, and query us about Alpha Centauri. Oftentimes, we are caught up with what is ahead of us and hold onto what is behind us and neglect to look up and marvel the beauty of the stars and the stories they hold as they travel through the clear, moonlit sky. In this picture, the observatory lies in the middle with the red light emanating from special infrared lights the couple used to show us where we to talk. Countless stars and the Milky Way Galaxy can be seen above in all its glory in a way that many Australians would never be able to unless in the Outback. These small little surprises filled my experience of Australia and made it a place imbued with natural wonder, history, and culture almost unparalleled to anywhere else in the world.”
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The Ramparts: An Aboriginal Past and Present by Paul Phan
Urban & Natural World Honorable Mention. Australia, Autumn 2019-20
“For thousands of years, the Aboriginal Australians lived and cultivated the land around them for survival in rough environments. While they may be only 1-3% of the Australian population today, these carvings on these ramparts signify that their knowledge and history live on and will forever be considered a sacred part of their land. Our teacher Claire Baker took us up to these "ramparts" on one of our first days of Terrestrial Ecology and Conservation class to explain to us that to properly understand and conserve the land around us is to the acknowledge the Aboriginal elders of the past, present, and future.”