Amina is the Grand-Prize Winner of the 2024 Penn State Global Learning Photo Contest!

Category Won: Cultural Engagement

Program Abroad: Sungkyunkwan University, International Summer Semester

Amina Abdullah is a fourth-year student at Penn State University Park majoring in English and Women's Studies. She is minoring in African American Studies. Amina studied abroad in Seoul, South Korea over the summer of 2023! 

Photographer's note: My roommate captured this photo. My program had taken us to Gyeongbokgung Palace, the main royal palace in the Joseon dynasty. We had the opportunity to try on traditional Korean hanboks as we toured the palace grounds. I felt a deeper connection as I was wearing the hanboks, especially due to the amount of work it takes to put one on. Every piece was put on me delicately and with precision. The women working in the hanbok rental store also braided my hair and decorated it with flowers, overall making it one of the more intimate moments of my study abroad experience. 

Category Won: Views

Program Abroad: HRER 897 - Comparative Employment Relations (Embedded program in Croatia)

Abigail Krivak is a master's student at Penn State World Campus studying Human Resources and Employment Relations. She studied abroad in Zagreb, Croatia during the spring of 2023! 

Photographer's note: Ahead of my program to Zagreb, Croatia, I was able to visit the city of Dubrovnik and walk the walls of the old town. Along the way, small guard windows provided glimpses of life outside the walls— like this view of Fort Lovrijenac. I was struck by how much studying abroad is like looking through a window into another world. 

Category Won: Vistas

Programs Abroad: Lima, Peru Cross-cultural Engagement and Valencia: University of Virginia, Engineering

Matt Schlegel is a fourth-year student at Penn State University Park majoring in Chemical Engineering. He studied abroad in Lima, Peru (summer 2022), as well as Valencia, Spain (spring 2023)! Matt's winning photo was captured during his time in Lima.

Photographer's note: This is a photo I took of Machu Picchu while I was in Peru. It was taken to encapsulate the incredible work of a modern wonder of the world. The incredible stonework contrasted with the landscape of the Andes is breathtaking.

Category Won: International Student Perspectives

Program Abroad: University of Waikato in Hamilton, New Zealand

Owen Hall is a third-year student at Penn State University Park majoring in Computer Engineering. He studied abroad in Hamilton, New Zealand over the spring 2023 semester. 

Photographer's note: The university was very internationally active. I not only hung out with many New Zealanders, but also Japanese and Malaysian students! 

Category Won: Home Away From Home

Programs Abroad: IES: Barcelona, Dept ARCH: Rome, and DIS: Summer in Scandinavia

Samuel DeBlase is a graduate student at Penn State University Park studying Architecture and Architectural History. He studied abroad in Barcelona, Spain (spring 2019); Rome, Italy (fall 2022); and Copenhagen, Denmark (summer 2023) during his time at Penn State!

Photographer's note: This is a picture that I took of a Jaume Plensa sculpture, located at the Artipelag art museum just outside of Stockholm. The solemn figure sits pondering as it looks out into the Swedish bay, deep in thought. I stumbled across this artwork shortly after my arrival in Sweden, and I was feeling a bit overwhelmed at the time because of my fast-paced travels across Scandinavia. The figure, made up of dozens of different symbols from various cultures/countries, had space for one to sit inside and look out onto the water as well. I did just this, and as I sat, I realized that no matter where I went and what pace I did this, I would always have my home country's culture within me, ready to use and reflect on at any moment I needed it. I felt safe and relaxed inside the sculpture.