End of Program Workshop Photo Contest and Scavenger Hunt

What is one word to describe the final night of the End of Program Workshop? Celebration!

A well-known Global UGRAD tradition, the photo contest is the perfect way for students to share the best snapshots of their exchange experience. Students were asked to submit photos of their best memories in the following categories: American Experiences, Community Service, School Spirit, Sharing Culture, and Spring Sights. Following a cohort-wide vote, one winner from each category was selected and announced at the closing night. Along with their photos, students provided short captions. In this edition, we are featuring a few photos below.

For the category of School Spirit, Raksa Ma from Cambodia at Kansas State University shared: “Wildcat fans rumbling while the Lady Wildcats took over Texas in a home basketball game.”

The best photo for Sharing Culture, was taken by Mark Virgil Jamer from the Philippines at Kent State University. He explained: “One of the things I admire about Kent State is its incredibly diverse student body. During the international night, I was amazed to see so many countries represented by amazing individuals. With such diversity, there’s so much space to learn from one another and share our unique cultures. My fellow UGRAD from Guatemala and I, for example, discovered so many similarities in our cultures despite our countries being far apart!” 

Sopordaliss Mean from Cambodia, based at St. Norbert College, won the Spring Sights category: “Welcome to the majestic view of my college! Since my college is located right on the bank of the Fox River I get to see the most beautiful view during sunsets! The cold weather is not grey here, it’s majestically beautiful! When I first arrived in Wisconsin during January there were piles of snow everywhere and the river was completely frozen, but now that the snow has melted and the river is flowing, I love to walk during the evening to watch sunsets and de-stress myself from studying during the day! The air quality is also amazing here! Thank you Global UGRAD for this opportunity.”

At this semester’s End of Program Workshop, annual traditions were rekindled. Students were invited to take part in the Global UGRAD Scavenger Hunt across Washington, DC. They were provided a list of photo prompts that would encourage maximum exposure to the city. The group with the most submissions (in number and quality) were announced as winners at the closing dinner.

Whether capturing pictures trying new food, posing like monuments, or seeing places where they learned something new, students had a blast participating in the Scavenger Hunt!