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Global Insights Contest

Photo from Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Jane Zhang ’20, Study abroad in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Spring 2019

I took this photo at the women's march that took place in Dam Square in Amsterdam. The experience of attending this march with my fellow U.S. students studying in Amsterdam was eye-opening in that we saw supporters and activists from all backgrounds. It made it apparent that the movement is global and not just centered in the U.S. Witnessing that was so powerful.

Picture of Ghana, Summer 2019

Kay Klo ‘20, Public Health Intern in Ghana, Summer 2019

This summer, I learned how Ghanaians are working to decolonized knowledge by centering West African narratives. Instead of narrating history as revolving around colonization and the legacies of Western imperialism, Ghanaian scholars are reclaiming history in a way that empowers the next generation to see African countries as powerful producers of knowledge in their own right. By teaching about powerful Asante kings and queens, ancestral knowledge of healing, and artists that contributed to Ghanain culture, scholars are reclaiming indigenous knowledge. Visiting the Cape Coast Slave castle was a powerful experience that reminded me of how important it is to keep the stories and resilience of our ancestors alive.

Photo of buildings with a market between them

Annie Huynh ’20, Hong Kong, Spring 2019

Harmony in the Chaos. Among the chaos of the city, local owners of their stalls come together to form a market. People all over, both residents and foreigners participate in the street market. Spending more of my time with international students, it was often difficult to interact with locals. As I walked through the market, I was not only able to communicate with other visitors, but also stall owners. Exposure to the products, the service, and the liveliness was an experience. An experience that brought one another together. One that I got to share even in a bustling city.

Two people sitting in the desert overlooking the landscape

Mira Rosenkotz ‘20, Negev, the "Grand Canyon" of Israel, December 2018

In the last month of my study abroad program a few friends and I got invited down to the desert by a student we had met earlier in our program. He showed us the lab where we worked and took us hiking for hours on end through the amazing desert landscape. Coming from somewhere where we can't seem to get rid of the rain, it was so interesting, not to mention beautiful, to take in the desert and learn about the ecosystem and biome that we had been living in for the past 6 months.