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Photo Finish


If a picture says a thousand words, then there were volumes spoken at the Center for Global Study and Engagement's annual photo exhibition. The event, which showcased 200 photos from around the globe, allowed returning study-abroad students and international students to share their cross-cultural experiences with the entire Dickinson community in visually striking ways. 

The photos represented students' travels in the Middle East, Latin America, Europe and Africa, as well as international students' views of the United States. Competition was so fierce that the judges took four hours to hash out the winners, rather than the typical two. “It was tough to select the winners, because there were so many great photos,” explained Program Associate Marlena Meikrantz, who organized the event. [Story continues below.] 


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  • Grace Lange 12's evocative photo, taken in Bamenda, Cameroon, garnered the Overall Winner prize. Lange also received an award for a collection of four photos, telling the story of her experiences in Cameroon.
    Knowledge is Power
  • Marketa Jakubcova '14, an international student from Prague, titled this picture "Times Square in the Rain." It earned her an award in the International Perspectives of the U.S. category.
    Shimmering Arches
  • While in Russia, Caitlin Moriarty '13 snapped this picture of the road from Suzdal to Moscow. The bell tower in the background was within the grounds of the convent-turned-hotel where she and fellow students stayed.
    Suzdal to Moscow
  • Art & art-history major Jennifer Rokoski '12 viewed Paris through a different lens—and received an award for the best architecture/landscape shot.
    A Different Lens
  • Xijing Zhang '14's photo of Tibet in the rain earned top honors in the Culture, Local Life & Local People category. Zhang is a an east-Asian-studies major from China.
    Tibetan Rain
  • Photographer Grace Lange '12 was treated as a member of the family while staying in Cameroon. "I was struck by the hospitality and kindness of the people there," she said.
    Cameroonian Hospitality
  • Lange (left) poses with members of her host family in Yaoundé, Cameroon.
    Host Family
  • Lange (far right) poses with fellow study-abroad students in Cameroon. From left: Anna Hershner '12, Sarah Wright '12, Anne Feldman '12 and Lange.
    Fellow Dickinsonians
  • Lange, an international-studies major, snapped this photo of a market in Yaoundé.
    To Market!
Grace Lange 12's evocative photo, taken in Bamenda, Cameroon, garnered the Overall Winner prize. Lange also received an award for a collection of four photos, telling the story of her experiences in Cameroon.Prev ImageNext Image

Judges bestowed awards to five individual photographs based on artistic merit (winning photos are displayed above). They also introduced a new award recognizing the photos' storytelling ability. Grace Lange '12 captured that prize for a collection of four photographs depicting her time in Yaoundé, Cameroon. 

Lange's photos of family members and friends reflect an important aspect of her time in Yaoundé: the hospitality and kindnesses she encountered and the deep friendships she made while immersing herself in the Cameroonian culture.

“My host family instantly welcomed me in and taught me the Cameroonian way. Together we went to the market; we prepared traditional food; we went out dancing; we went to family gatherings; we traveled to their village,” Lange recalled. “I learned how to cook like a Cameroonian, laugh like a Cameroonian, and cherish the simple joys of friendship like a Cameroonian.”

By MaryAlice Bitts Jackson

View photos from last year's contest.
View photos from the 2010 contest.