UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State Global has announced the grand-prize winner of the annual Global Learning Photo Contest — Amina Abdullah, a fourth-year student at University Park majoring in English and women’s studies.

Penn State Global Learning convened this year to host a photo contest for all Penn State students who recently studied abroad, as well as international students attending the University.

Abdullah studied abroad at Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul, South Korea, during the summer of 2023. Her submission (pictured above) to the Cultural Engagement category was chosen as the winner of this year’s photo contest, out of 90+ submissions from students who studied abroad in more than 35 countries.

Regarding the circumstances that led to the photo, Abdullah said, “My roommate captured this photo. My program had taken us to Gyeongbokgung Palace, the main royal palace in the Joseon Dynasty. We had the opportunity to try on traditional Korean hanboks as we toured the palace grounds. I felt a deeper connection as I was wearing the hanboks, especially due to the amount of work it takes to put one on. Every piece was put on me delicately and with precision. The women working in the hanbok rental store also braided my hair and decorated it with flowers, overall making it one of the more intimate moments of my study abroad experience.” 

For her victory, Abdullah received a GoPro camera, a Penn State Global-branded duffel bag, a scratch-off map, and an instant digital camera.

Students from all Penn State campuses submitted the best photos captured from their international education experiences in accordance with a pool of categories related to global learning. Categories from this year’s contest included "Penn State at Work," "Views and Vistas," "Cultural Engagement," "International Student Perspectives," "Home Away From Home," and "Wildcard."

In addition to the first-place winner of the contest, one submission is selected as the victor of each category. Category winners are as follows:

• Penn State at Work: Stacie Zhang
• Views: Abigail Krivak
• Vistas: Matt Schlegel
• Cultural Engagement: Amina Abdullah (grand-prize winner)
• International Student Perspectives: Owen Hall
• Home Away From Home: Samuel DeBlase
• Wildcard: Ava Gallines

To view all winning photos from this year’s contest, visit Penn State Global Photo Contest Winners.

Global Learning announced photo contest winners this year with a gallery opening featuring all winning photos and information about student photographers. The gallery opening was held April 17 in the HUB-Robeson Center on the University Park campus.

Students interested in applying to study abroad during the spring 2025 semester are encouraged to connect with the Penn State Education Abroad office to discuss the many programs available. The Penn State deadline to apply for most spring 2025 programs is Tuesday, September 10, 2024. For more competitive programs, Education Abroad recommends submitting an application by the spring 2025 early action deadline – Wednesday, May 15, 2024. More information can be found on the Spring 2025 Education Abroad Website.

Students interested in applying for short-term embedded courses should speak with the faculty or staff member regarding any admission or enrollment requirements.