students illustrate what makes them glad they decided to study abroad in University Language Services’ scholarship contest

Whether high in the sky or firmly at ground-level, college students who entered University Language Services’ latest scholarship contest gave a bird’s-eye view of what it’s like to study abroad.College students across the United States and around the world submitted photos of the scene that made them realize that they made the right decision to study abroad. Winner: Ava Macchiaverna, class of 2013 at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va. Macchiaverna, of Seaside Park, N.J., took a photo of a friend jumping from a gondola 450 feet above a lake in Switzerland, right before it was her turn. studying abroad proved to me that until you spread your wings, you will never know how far you can fly,” she wrote.

 2nd place: Kotchaphorn Mangkalaphiban, class of 2015 at Wilson College in Chambersburg, Penn. She was scared when she left Thailand to study abroad in the United States and took her photo high above the Pacific Ocean, but the experience was worth it. “Between homesickness and sometimes frustration, the hollowness in me was filled with friendship, from my host family to students at school to the community,” she wrote.

  3rd place: Jenna Lanzaro, class of 2013 at The College of New Jersey in Ewing, N.J. As an Italian-American, she aimed to “embrace the culture” by studying in Florence and exploring Italy. Lanzaro, of Commack, N.Y., plans to return to Italy this fall as a student teacher, and a photo of a lemon grove in Sorrento reminds her to teach her students to “seize the day.The photographs submitted by the winners and by all contest entrants show the significance that studying abroad plays in the lives of so many college students every year.University Language awarded a $500 college scholarship to the grand prize winner and $100 scholarships to the 2nd and 3rd prize winners. Profiles of the scholarship winners will be posted on University Language Services’ blog, Campus Commons.Honorable mentions were awarded to another 12 entrants who submitted photos of places ranging from Iceland to Japan.