Skip to main content
Santa Clara University
Global Engagement

2023 Finalists

  1. Home
  2. Global Engagement
  3. About
  4. Engage With Us
  5. Annual Events
  6. SCU Global Photo Contest
  7. 2023 Finalists

Winners

First Place: "Amongst the People" by Walker Guerra

Photo Location: Duomo di Milano in Milan, Italy
Study Abroad Location: Italy: Milan - Business Studies/IES -  Fall Semester 2023

"I find this image to serve as a perfect analogy for my experience abroad. When I landed in Milan in September, it was not only my first time in Italy, but my first time in Europe. Just hours after landing, I found myself planted in front of the 150+ foot high Duomo di Milano. The structure itself was daunting, let alone the idea that I was going to be spending over three months in such a foreign place. The spires of the Duomo topped with statues felt so distant, almost entirely out of reach. One of my final nights in Milan, my family came to visit and we climbed the Duomo together. I found myself looking into the eyes of the statues that had been looking down upon me three months prior. It felt like the perfect parallel for my overall experience abroad, having embedded myself into a community so thoroughly that it truly felt like home by the time I had to say goodbye."

Duomo di Milano in Milan, Italy; statues of people in dark silhouette with sunset background - Duomo di Milano in Milan, Italy; statues of people in dark silhouette with suns Link to file

Second Place: "Inside a Glacier" by Katie Ott

Photo Location: Vik, Iceland
Study Abroad Location: England: East London - Queen Mary University of London/SCU - Fall Semester 2023

"I took this photo while on a trip to Iceland during my time abroad. A friend of mine (also from SCU) went with me on a glacier cave tour. After climbing down the stairs made of ice into the cave, I turned around and captured the once in a lifetime shot of a sparkling glacier coated with volcanic ash. This photo is important to me because it reminds me of an experience I'll never forget during my time abroad."

Cave in Iceland with sparkling blue glacier coated with volcanic ash - Cave in Iceland with sparkling blue glacier coated with volcanic ash Link to file

Honorable Mention: "A moment of tranquility amidst the power of the ocean." by Sri Sai Saketh Chillapalli

Photo Location: Pfeiffer Beach, CA, USA
Home Country: India

"Importance: Though life, like the ocean, maybe a tapestry of swirling uncertainties, it's in the hushed coves of calm that we weave threads of peace and joy."

Pfeiffer Beach, CA, USA; large rock formation in the sea with sunset background - Pfeiffer Beach, CA, USA; large rock formation in the sea with sunset background Link to file

Honorable Mention: "Depleting Glacier Lagoon" by Katie Ott

Photo Location: Vik, Iceland
Study Abroad Location: England: East London - Queen Mary University of London/SCU - Fall Semester 2023

"I took this picture in Iceland at sunset at a glacier lagoon. I felt moved by the sight before me and wanted to capture it so that it would last forever. In that moment I was able to see the physical impacts climate change has and is currently making on the world around me. Standing next to this lagoon, seeing small glaciers break off of larger ones and float into the sea, made me want to make a positive impact to stop and hopefully reverse some of the damage we've already caused. This photo is important to me because it shows the effects of climate change in motion."

Iceland at sunset at a glacier lagoon that is half melted - Iceland at sunset at a glacier lagoon that is half melted Link to file

All Finalists