After rounds of judging and voting, the Global Education Office’s 2024 Study Abroad Photo Contest has concluded with four students named as winners.

Earlier this semester, the office selected 11 finalists from dozens of entries and displayed their images in a gallery. At that time, the office invited anyone to vote for their favorites. Over the next two months, 475 people cast votes. On Nov. 11, during International Education Week, the votes were tallied and winners announced.

The photographs were all submitted by current Hokies who studied abroad in 2023 or 2024. The contest had four student categories: Hokies Go Global, The Heart of It, Postcards of the World, and Cultural Connections. Photographers were asked to not only showcase their study abroad experience in their pictures, but also align their pictures with these categories. One winner was chosen in each category.

Hokies Go Global

Winner: Lauren Schoener

A woman relaxing on a sailboat
For Hokies Go Global, Lauren Schoener, an advertising major, won with a sunny image of a fellow student wearing a Virginia Tech hat on a sailboat off the coast of Malta.

The Heart of It

Winner: Janika Perezous

An ancient stone archway
Janika Perezous, a biological sciences major, won with her photo “Inside Looking Out.” Perezous took this picture while standing in a Roman amphitheater in Mérida, Spain.

Postcards of the World

Winner: Emma Lucier

Rock formations off a steep rocky coastline
For Postcards of the World, the winner was Emma Lucier, a biological sciences major who studied abroad in Australia. Her photo was a dramatic view of the Candlestick and the Totem Pole dolerite formations in Tasman National Park.

Cultural Connections

Winner: Jessica Le

Rock formations off a steep rocky coastline
For Cultural Connections, the winner was Jessica Le. Majoring in cybersecurity management and analytics, Le was studying abroad in Daedunsan, South Korea, where she captured her winning photograph of snowy stairs during a mountain hike.

In addition to these students, Rachel Vaughn was randomly drawn to win a prize for her study abroad social media post, and A’me Dalton won the faculty/staff category.

For students who studied abroad in fall 2024 or who will study abroad in the spring or summer of 2025, dates for the 2024-25 photo contest will be announced soon. Follow the Global Education Office on social media to catch the announcement of the next photo contest.

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