Honorable Mention

With so many great entries submitted to the 2018/2019 School of Business International Photo Contest, we want to showcase some of the judging panel's other favourites and ones that just missed being named a finalist. We feel these photos really captured the spirit of the contest and it would be a shame not to share these with the rest of the world. Congratulations to all those chosen for Honorable Mention and thank you for contributing to the international atmosphere at the Alberta School of Business.

Sahara Seat at the Golden Hour
Shelly Sohi, MBA 2019
Sahara Desert

Liberate your human spirit! Studying and backpacking abroad was a transitional and transformative experience that I highly recommend everyone give themselves the opportunity to take at least once in their life. Travel allows you rejuvenate your curiosity and creativity in a way that living within your comfort bubble will not allow. It doesn't matter where you are in the world, even in the most remote of places, life begs you to take in the present moment.

Legend and Reality
Brandi Vanderwolf, BCom 2019
Loch Ness, Scotland

You often hear about the fantasies and stories of different countries and cultures, but it's not every day that you get to experience them. Traveling to Loch Ness proved that even something as unreal as the Loch Ness monster can feel plausible once you experience the place that the stories come from. Sitting and looking out on the Loch Ness and the peaceful Scottish countryside in the early morning made me realize that even if I didn't personally see the Loch Ness monster, the stories that were founded in this area hold more significance than anything else. Everyone has stories, and it's only when you travel that you can understand them.

Turkish Lamps
Richard Cook, BCom 2020
Kotor, Montenegro

Met some truly amazing people and have had some truly fantastic times on exchange. Would recommend it to anyone!

Into the Unknown
Emily Olds, BCom 2020
Iceland

When travelling to a new country there is an overwhelming amount of new sensations and emotions. No matter how many hours you spend planning, you cannot prepare for the feelings that you will have when you finally arrive. Studying abroad has taught me to embrace this unknown feeling and walk confidently into it. This photo was taken at the site of a DC-3 US Navy airplane wreckage on the beaches of Iceland's southern coast. The plane itself was a cargo aircraft which made a crash landing into Sólheimasandur in 1973. There were 7 crew members on board at the time of the crash but thankfully no fatalities. There are a number of rumours about why the plane crashed, but no definite answers. The plane wreck is a 7km round trip walk from the highway, but there is something intriguing about which makes many people get out of their vehicles and complete the trek. When we got there, there were a number of people posing for photos, taking selfies, and letting their children treat it like a jungle gym. It was a very surreal experience to see the wreckage of a life threatening accident being treated with such little respect. Perhaps it's treated this way because all of the crew members survived the crash, but it would be shocking to see the wreckage from a car accident treated like this. I had no idea what I would feel after walking 3.5km into the Icelandic wind to see the plane wreckage, but I can tell you with certainty that I was not prepared for it. Sometimes traveling brings uncomfortable, unforgiving, and unexpected feelings, but we continue to walk into the unknown in order to experience these.

Cambodian Culture
Brenna Androschuk, BCom 2019
Royal Palace, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

We need to be able to expand our view, not overlook the beauty of a country, such as the Royal Palace above, but take time to embrace history and learn about the countries we travel. I had the opportunity to appreciate Cambodia's history in a multitude of ways; the most profound was to mourn the devastation of the recent genocide. These experiences taught me the importance of educating yourself about the countries you travel to, which I encourage everyone to do to as we have the privilege to explore these places and often overlook the past while enjoying the picture-perfect landscape.

School Girls in Bamboo Forest
Jacob Sulim, MBA 2019
Kyoto - Japan

I had the luck to travel a lot. Travelling around the world, discovering new people and new cultures teach us that we have to look at what happens across our own borders if we want to grow up and to make an impact.

Beautiful Busan
Kathy Pham, BCom 2021
Gamcheon Culture Village, Busan, South Korea

Living far away from home has allowed me to become more open-minded about what the world has to offer. Seeing this village in Busan was almost like me seeing something from a movie. I have never seen a neighbourhood like this in Canada and especially with such vibrant colours. When hiking through this village, it made me realize that the people who lived in the village came together to make the village a sightseeing location. This village was free of charge, which meant that the residents were willing to share their personal beauty with others from around the world.

Crack of the Cloud
Lei Yang, MBA 2020
Banff National Park

As an international student, this is officially the first time I see Banff's magnificent scenery for real in my life. This picture was captured in the orientation Banff trip. When we came to the top of the Sulphuric mountain, there were heavily snowing. I was waiting outside hours to see whether I could capture something. Suddenly, the could opened a crack and sunlight was reflected on the snow mountain for less than one minute. In these seconds, I captured this beautiful snow queen from the crack of the cloud. I feel this experience is exactly like what I have been through for these years. No matter what, don't give up. Life will pay you back what you have endeavoured for it.

Western Australia Exchange
Piero Tagliente, BCom 2020
Rottnest Island, Western Australia Travelling will make you more appreciative of our planet. As I travelled on exchange as far away as the western part of Western Australia, one of the furthest place from Edmonton you could go and one of the most isolated places in the world, it was amazing to be immersed in a completely different environment. The fact that Edmonton could be -30c and snowing but +37c and sunny in Perth with completely different flora and fauna is an overlooked wonder of our planet. You will realize that Earth is so unique and beautiful and must be protected.

Kumamoto after Earthquake
Lei Yang, MBA 2020
Japan Kumamoto

In 2018 summer, when I travelled to Japan Kumamoto, I went to the Kumamoto Castle to do some volunteer work to make some help on the rebuilding construction. When I visited the castle which is heavily destroyed in the earthquake, I felt heartbreak. This castle is one of the big threes castles in Japan and is the only one built by black stones. It will take 10 years to do the reconstructions. In those days, I can see the kindness warmness of Kumamoto people when they were fighting with the nature disasters. Although we can not eliminate the nature disasters, we must treat out earth better to make a sustainable living conditions for all creatures on the planet. Our [earth] will treat us better in turn.

Tofino Sunset
Lucille Debuisschert, MBA 2019
Tofino, BC

I am from France. Studying in Canada for 4 months has taught me many things about life, abroad experience, traveling alone and adapting to another country. This picture was taken in Tofino, BC, during reading week.

Illumination
Ashlee Matkin, MBA 2019
New Zealand

Travelling and trekking with my partner provides us with incredible opportunities to experience the wilderness with no distractions or reminders of future obligations; we have the chance to live in the moment. In a world increasingly reliant on technology and immediate feedback, it is important to escape into nature and refuel. This photo, of a New Zealand moon so bright we were able to set up all our equipment in the middle of the night, is a reminder of how travelling and being open to adventure makes things we would normally be unable to see visible.

The Unity Found in Diversity
Lydia Araya, BCom 2021
Brooklyn Bridge, New York City

During the spring of 2018, I got to travel to New York City for a two week vacation. Although it is located in the USA, NYC is one of the most diverse cities with hundreds of different nationalities being represented. Travelling there helped me to see the beauty of diversity but how we are also one. This picture I took shows the back of tourists heads walking under the Brooklyn Bridge with the USA flag right above them showing that although there is diversity, there is also unity amongst us all. This reminded me that diversity shouldn't be something that tears us apart but should be celebrated and make us all one.

Clingy
Emily Olds, BCom 2020
Costa Rica

The rainforest of Costa Rica is a scary place. Moving across the ocean is a scary thought. Saying goodbye to your parents for a year is a scary thing. But if you can face your fears, the experiences you have will easily make it worth your while. Studying abroad has taught me that sometimes the scariest places or events will bring you the greatest joys.

Summer Sunrise
Qiyang Wang, BCom 2020
Weihai Travelling internationally offers me opportunities to be exposed to diverse individuals, cultures, lives. This diversity is simply amazing to me and it constantly brings me plenty of motivations in daily lives and study. This enables me to think out of the box and step out of my comfort zone to explore and challenge. Photography is one of my favorite ways to keep every precious moment on my journeys because I believe it not only captures things but also captures feelings and emotions at that moment permanently. This is so attractive and makes me more dedicative.

Birdseye View
Renee Anielski, BCom 2019
Interlaken Switzerland

Traveling is all about getting outside of your comfort zone. Some of my favorite moments abroad have been trying something new, like you see in this photo. Paragliding in Switzerland was one of the most surreal things I have ever done. The beauty of the landscape is hard to capture in a photo but the entire experience took my breathe away! Enjoy the view from up high, it really makes you appreciate perspective and the amazing world we live in!