Written by Connor Thelemann | Archived Nov. 10, 2020

Pictures are meant to help tell a story, and those captured in this contest speak to the memories made by three University of Minnesota Duluth students.

Jennifer Siv, Rachel Wachtler and Laura Brown won the 2018 study abroad photo contest held by UMD International Programs & Services staff. The contest was open to all UMD students abroad during 2017 and featured three different categories: Culture, Places and Selfie.

Culture photos needed to portray the country’s local culture, places had to showcase a scenic image, and selfies were free to the student’s imagination.

The winners in each category received a $100 gift card and their photos are currently displayed in the Northern Shores Coffee shop on campus.

Culture Winner: Jennifer Siv

“This lamb and lady followed us and wanted this class's attention. But as us young students and tourists, some of us thought the lamb was cute and surrounded it by petting it and taking pictures of it. Honestly, that was one of the very few animals I saw people carrying around Cusco trying to gain attention. The civilians in Cusco will try to do anything to earn money for a living even if they have to dress up a lamb and I think this picture demonstrates that particular culture.”

Places Winner: Rachel Wachtler

“We got to Aoraki National Park early in the morning when there weren’t a lot of people there and just after a fresh snowfall so it made for some great photo opportunities. As we got closer to Mt. Cook and the glacial lake by the base of it, there were some small hills that from the top you could see the whole area - it was beautiful! I was with two other people and they wanted a way to remember the hike and it’s spectacular views so I started playing around with my camera. I got a lot of great shots, including the one I entered in the photo contest. The person in the photo is trying to take in the landscape and get the best view possible which really speaks to how breathtaking the area was. It puts you in the place of the person and makes you want to be at the top of that rock looking over the mountains with them.”

Selfie Winner: Laura Brown

“To take this selfie, we took the gondola up from Lake Bohinj to Vogel Ski Resort. We went in the fall before there was snow here, so it was open for mountain hiking. After getting up the gondola, we embarked on a hiking adventure, following red dots painted on rocks to stay on the trail. This hike was truly breathtaking, surrounded by snow-capped mountains, green trees, and fog rolling in in the distance. If you ever get a chance, go to Slovenia and explore its magnificent scenery."