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Where in the World
Award-winning photos from Centre’s study abroad program
A spring photography contest explored the diversity of study abroad at Centre, with 136 submissions from approximately 25 locations. The top three winners received cash prizes, while the top 10 were displayed in the Hub Coffeehouse. In addition, the top 20 were hung in Doherty Library.
First Place
Merida, Mexico: Mimi in Her House
Mimi lived on my block in Merida. I walked past her house every day on my way to and from school, and I would frequently stop and say hello to her. She lived alone and was happy to have someone to talk to, especially someone as interesting as a foreign student. She would ask me questions about myself, what I was doing in Merida, how I learned Spanish, and the like, and tell me about her life.
Although her real name was Muimi, she went by Mimi, which is what my own grandmother goes by.
Eventually, she invited me into her house and showed me around. The interior was fairly austere, and was a big change from my host house in Merida, which was always full of people and activity. It seemed like a National Geographic moment, so I asked if I could take a photo of her in her house. I got the feeling that she hadn't had a photo taken of her in a while, because she really lit up when I showed her the photo on my digital camera.
It was a lucky shot. I’m really fortunate that I spoke Spanish well enough to develop a friendship with this woman during my time in Merida. I’ve never taken photography seriously, and actually didn't own a camera until I bought one the day before flying out to Merida. In light of the photos I took during my time there, it was well worth it.
—Clay McDonald ’10
Majors: economics and Spanish
Chattanooga
Second Place
Managua, Nicaragua: Pyramid of FSLN Supporters
President Daniel Ortega was re-elected after a 15-year hiatus from power in late 2006, so I didn't quite expect his inauguration to be going on when I signed up for a January 2007 CentreTerm trip to Nicaragua. President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and President Evo Morales of Bolivia, among others, spoke. We were at the inauguration for a majority of the day and much of the night. There were hundreds of thousands of people in the main park; we from Centre were just 25 among them. We were among the few United States citizens there. It was an odd tension, given the history of Nicaragua—with Ortega’s FSLN Sandanistas fighting against the U.S.-backed Contras 20 years ago—but this is a different era. The few Nicaraguans I spoke with felt it was a good sign that normal, unaffiliated, U.S. citizens would be at an Ortega rally.
I got lucky with the shot, just the right place at the right time.
—Jeff Hortillosa ’09
Major: Spanish
Middlesboro, Ky.
Third Place
Hanoi, Vietnam: Wild Traffic
I went on the History of Vietnam CentreTerm trip to Vietnam and Cambodia. We were there for 14 days total. On one of our very first nights there, a group of us stopped by a touristy place on the sixth floor of a building called the City Cafe overlooking one of Hanoi’s busiest intersections. The light and color were very impressive, and the movement of the traffic was chaotic but beautiful at the same time. I set my Nikon D80 on the railing of the cafe’s overlook and set the exposure time to two seconds to capture the motion of the motorbikes and the people walking. It’s one of my favorites that I took in Vietnam.
—Jamey Price ’10
Major: history
Mineral Springs, N.C.
Top Honorable Mentions (click here for pdf)
Vietnam: Ha Long Bay, Jamey Price ’10
Versailles, France: January in Versailles, Nick Gowen ’11
La Palma, Costa Rica: Katia in the Window, Chelsey Beal ’11
Fasnacht, Germany: Carnival of Basel, Isaac Buck ’11
Liverpool, England: Walkway into St. James’ Park, Sam Yates ’11
Beijing, China: Man Playing the Erhu, Julie Baer ’10
Baba'1, Cameroon: Young Girl with her Sister, Annie Stephens ’10
Centrepiece
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