Global Education Photo Contest

The world is your classroom! Each year, Field Studies/Study Abroad/Global Ed sends hundreds of students around the world on amazing academic adventures. Here are some of our favorite images taken by our students. We are busy planning future classes to extraordinary locations. 

2024 Photo Contest Winner

grey clouds of a thunderstorm

Photo by Nicholas Albers

"On this trip, we were slated to have a very decent week of storm chasing, but the atmosphere severely underperformed. This picture was taken on one of the only days we had a good storm to look at and study. It made me realize that the atmosphere truly does what it wants and nobody can truly ever understand all the complexities of our own atmosphere. The saying goes that you get a bachelor's degree and you think you know everything, a master's and realize you know nothing, and a doctorate when you realize nobody knows anything. That's what's special about this planet we call home." Nicholas Albers | Thunderstorm Laboratory, Broken Bow, Nebraska

2024 Photo Contest Gallery

Thank you to all who participated.

male student posing in front of Eiffel Tower

group posing on bridge in middle of winter forest

people hiking on a ridge above an ocean

male and female in kayak on ocean with mountain in background

two girls posting with a mother and her young son

temple in Greece with blue sky in background

camels with people on their backs

setting sun over boat harbor

Statue of Liberty with blue sky

The Thinker statue in art gallery

group posting in front of a French chateau

grey clouds of a thunderstorm

Eiffel Tower

mountain with cloud overhead

waterfall going into a pond

group of students posing

group posing in a large opening to a building

girl sitting in middle of field

temple buildings in Japan

buildings along canal in Venice, Italy

Sun setting across lake

sun above temple in Asia

green lake water with bluff rock surrounding left edge

canoes docked on a beach next to a murky pond

sun rising or setting across a field

Japanese girls posing in pink and purple dresses

beach with blue sky overhead

canoe on beach of steaming pond

white house on a field in the fog

Note: to fit the format of the gallery, images needed to be cropped.

girl standing on sand dune

Photo by Emily Kesler

"This photo was taken near Merzouga, Morrocco in the Sahara Desert. My program was the International College of Seville, the trip taken with We Love Spain. It was incredible to look out over the seemingly never-ending sand dunes of the Sahara desert, and spending the night dancing with my friends from all over the world. This was a once in a lifetime experience I'll never forget!" Emily Kesler, Semester Study Abroad in Seville, Spain

Thank you to all who participated.

Rain falling across a landscape

Person taking notes while on a hike

Group of people in a jeep on safari

Field with hill in background

People canoeing in the wilderness

Sun rising over a valley

Open field with road under clouds

Open field of grass with people walking

School busses in a parking lot under snow

White cactus plant in desert

Red Adirondack chairs facing a valley

Sled dogs with people in field of snow

Buildings in a Mexican city

Mountaintop with United States and Canadian flags

Group of people with their palms-up

Pagoda in Japan

Buildings in a European city

Mountainscape with trees

Girl standing on sand dune

Alpine lake with mountains and cows

Sun setting across ocean

White and blue bird on tree branch

Group of people working in a forest

Gothic cathedral in a European city

Tornado moving across a field

Eiffel Tower lit-up a night

Clothes drying on a tree

Selfie of person

Pagoda in an Asian country

Shoes along a riverbank

Trees covered in snow

Backpackers crossing a bridge

Group of people sitting on a bridge

cityscape at night

two men in straw hats walking up a road

food stall at night

Note: to fit the format of the gallery, images needed to be cropped.

girl with butterfly on her nose

Photo by Megan Kairies

"I recently studied abroad in Costa Rica. I noticed that the culture is more about togetherness than in the States. They are the hardest working people, but always make time for family. My host "Mamá Tica" is one of the hardest working people and even though she had art classes, church duties, kids to take care of, and her father that relies on her to take care of him - even with that, every night she reserved at least an hour to talk to me and my roommate to make sure we felt like family. It's just who Costa Ricans are. They are very loving and welcoming people who make sure everyone feels like family. I love this photo because my Mamá Tica loves butterflies and even made one for me in her art class (it's hanging in my room). A butterfly to me represents a person who can bring a smile to everyone’s face even if it's just for a short moment in time." Megan Kairies, Study Abroad, Costa Rica

Thank you to all who participated.

Island with beach, forest and palm trees

Female in kayak on lake

Two yaks in the snow

Mountain scene with red boat on lake

Galapagos sign

Two pelicans on a rock

Woman in boat on lake with bridge

Older adults at a wine tasting

Man with sandwich in Paris, France with Eiffel Tower

Girls touching each others hands

Valley of autumn trees and rocks

Pelican looking at a sign

Stream with rocks in a forest

Man standing in a valley overlooking a lake

Two girls posing with a valley behind

Thunderstorm with lightning overlooking a plain

Seaside scene at dusk

Man walking into an art gallery

Woman standing against a mural

Road heading through a jungle toward a mountain

Sea scape of ocean crashing into the mountainous shore

Girl with large butterfly on nose

Image of vehicle through broken glass

Mountain valley with clouds

Seal resting on beach

Porcupine posing for camera

Valley with rocks and trees

Clouds over a plain

Valley with rocks and trees at dusk

Woman walking in a forest of snow

Tornado on a plain

People hiking along a stream

Valley lake with mountains and pine trees

Note: to fit the format of the gallery, images needed to be cropped.

Contact Information

Field and Experiential Learning, Study Abroad and Global Education
Berg Instructional Center (BIC), Room 3520
(630) 942-2356
Email: fssa@cod.edu
Inquiry Form