Congratulations Eisa Alhabib from the University of Calgary who has taken first prize in both the photo and video categories for the Student Center Photo Contest!
See his entries below.
This global contest saw entries and votes from all corners of the world, including delegates from the Student Center Annual Conference in Ottawa and other countries such as Romania, Brazil and Kuwait.
Thank you to all who participated, and we hope to see your international education experience photos and videos again in 2015. Keep documenting your journey and creating memories that will last a lifetime!
Eisa Alhabib, University of Calgary: This photo was taken at Chira Island, Costa Rica in April 2014 at a rural elementary school. Volunteering with the ucalgarycares program for a community-based learning experience was truly the best experience I have ever had in my life. I come from Kuwait, known to be a very wealthy Middle Eastern country that produces 9% of the world’s oil reserves. When in Costa Rica, I had stayed for almost two weeks living with a host family and to be able to share their everyday routines of having rice and beans for breakfast and fishing as a source of money, I thought to myself that I have to start learning how to appreciate the life that I live. Meeting the kids at the elementary school was the highlight of my experience. Their smiles never left their faces and to have what we call “so little” yet be very satisfied with their lives is something to really think about. We got to help them by mixing cement and creating an assembly area for the school. I learned that permanent happiness comes from satisfaction and helping others, not with having more. This will not be the last time I travel abroad to volunteer.
Francesca Abbondanza-Bergeron from Concordia University was the finalist for the Video category.
Manoel Marcelino de Sa Junior, a Ciência sem Fronteiras student from the University of Toronto, was the finalist in the Photo category.
Manoel Marcelino de Sa Junior, University of Toronto: As a Science without Borders student, the opportunity to study in Canada has brought changes to my life in a way that I never imagined to be possible. In this brief period, I passed through unique experiences both on campus and off campus that has built in me into a new person. Every person that I’ve met was like a river of chances to discover a new perspective on life, as well as an opportunity to share my culture, and to learn about theirs. In the same way, the places I visited showed me how big, different and beautiful the world is. Each road has led me to gorgeous natural beauty spots like Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia, calm places that make us think that this world worth the effort to keep it exactly as it is: a natural paradise.
Special thanks to RBC for making the Student Center Photo Contest possible and allowing us to share these global stories with you all.