While Loving the Location focuses on capturing the essence and energy of the study abroad locations, the Living category of the competition is intended to honor the people, creatures and places that become part of students’ lives while abroad.
Eleanor Helm, a third-year honors student, was awarded third place in this category for her photo submission, “View from the Terrace.”
Last fall, Helm participated in a semester-long program with the Department of Languages, Literature and Culture, where she developed her Spanish language skills and uncovered the art, history and culture of Granada, Spain. While Helm’s days were spent venturing into the city to explore the Alhambra and the beaches of Almunecar, at night she returned to her host family and the neighborhood she learned to call home.
Helm’s prize-winning submission captures the view from her host family’s terrace, where she said she spent warm evenings looking out over the city and the Alhambra on the hill. While Helm’s photo captures just one of many beautiful sights from her time abroad, it is also a tribute to the people and place that shaped her experience.
In Helm’s submissions to the UD Abroad Blog, she described the role her host family played in her language development.
“Luckily, I have plenty of chances to practice with my host family,” Helm wrote. “The opportunity to speak with them and learn from them is one of the experiences I’m most thankful for … Not to mention the fact that their house is absolutely gorgeous and has incredible views of the Alhambra, the Moorish castle that overlooks the city.”
Winning submissions from the Learning category focus on the academic side of study abroad, sharing photos from an international classroom, faculty-led excursions and experiential learning opportunities.
On an excursion to the Randilen Wildlife Management Area in Tanzania, sophomore Grace Ferry snapped a photo of her classmates watching patiently for elephants, giraffes and gazelles. Her submission, titled “Learning to Use Our Binoculars,” was awarded first place in this category.