Travel Scholarship Winners – 2016

Every year at ACIS, we give away scholarships to high school and middle school students to help with the financial cost of going abroad with ACIS. Students submit entries of writing, photography and artwork based on a theme. This year’s theme was “The World in Your World” asking students to tell us how different cultures, communities, and places from around the world impact their daily life. Do they see the influence of other cultures at school? How about at home? Or in their community? These may be traditions, customs, people, or even products that originate from outside of the United States but shape their lives today. We asked that students take this opportunity to think critically about how the world personally influences them as students and global citizens and then show that influence creatively through their submissions.

Entries for artwork, photography and writing categories were judged on creativity, inventiveness, and how the expression of the idea relates to the theme. After reviewing hundreds of submissions, we’re thrilled to announce the winners of our 2016 Travel Scholarship Contest:

Writing

Grand Prize, High School – $1,000 Scholarship
Connecting Hearts, Minds, and Cultures, by Mackenzie Lamb

Runner-Up, High School – $500 Scholarship
Veins, by Zuzanna Lutrzykowska

Grand Prize, Middle School – $1,000 Scholarship
Every Hurricane Has a Rainbow, by Macy Burkert

Runner-Up, Middle School – $500 Scholarship
One World, Billions of People, by Abigail Stegemoller

Artwork

Grand Prize, High School – $1,000 Scholarship
The Local Coffee Shop, by Abigail Rugg

“In this coffee shop, I’ve sat a hundred times, with my family, with my friends and even alone. However, never once did I lack the inspiration that every person needs to create. The different people are what inspire my art. My family from England, my best friend from Greece, my oldest friend from Australia, even the teacher I met who was visiting from Tokyo. The influential and amazing people I have met or sat with in my local coffee shop have inspired me with their cultures and individualities to want to meet more people who can share new experiences and traditions. I wish to experience the world and the different people who have and will fuel my passion, and continue to inspire my art throughout my life. And hopefully, one day I can inspire those around me too.” – Abigail

Runner-Up, High School – $500 Scholarship
A Day in the Life, by Katherine Li

“Diversity is everywhere. I see it all day, every day, any day. And living in the “melting pot” that is America does nothing but drive that idea home. You can see diversity in objects, in posters around your school, and things that people buy, but from what I have experienced, true diversity is the huge variety in cultures and personalities of people that you meet. No one is a single color–instead, each individual is a blend of different shades. I used oil pastel in the drawing to emphasize this fact, and colored pencil to show the diversity the community itself has to offer as well. In the end, diversity is all about taking a bunch of different colors, and putting them together to create something beautiful.” – Katherine

Photography

Grand Prize, High School – $1,000 Scholarship
I am, by Mariana Bulko

“My world is defined by where I live, how I live, and where I come from. I’m proud to be American, but my heritage is equal parts Greek and Slovak. My heritage is as much a part of me as my two hands, bringing the world into my world.” – Mariana

Runner-Up, High School – $500 Scholarship
Beautiful Warsaw: My Other Half, by Gabriela Kobylarz

“All the photos were taken by me personally in Warsaw in 2014 during my family vacation in Poland. They all mean a lot to me. They show my heritage because my grandparents and parents were born in Poland. They represent a set of values I believe. They influence my and my family’s way of life. This place and its traditions, customs, and people shape my life today, as I live in Chicago, which has a very large Polish population. It has its own little Warsaw-like community. Every Friday afternoon, I attend Polish school. Every week, I learn a bit about Poland’s history. Every once in awhile, I hang out with my Polish friends and eat Polish food. Everyday, I speak Polish with my family. Everywhere I travel, I see proud Polish folks, who kept their traditions and language even after migrating so far away from home, and hear and understand their native talk. All of a sudden, I don’t feel so alone anymore. I can connect to many people with just having this type of background. In all, Warsaw is like another home in my world. I may be separated from its people by miles of land and water, but we are united through our overt culture that is expressed in our daily lives.” – Gabriela

Art/Photography (Middle School Only)

Grand Prize, Middle School – $1,000 Scholarship
Sports Are the Eyes of the World, Jaya Tuggle

“I have been taught different sports throughout my life whether during PE, camp, etc…and the sports originated from all over the world. No matter how made or where they came from, I still got to enjoy wonderful sports.” – Jaya

Runner-Up, Middle School – $500 Scholarship
A Glimpse of My World, Jordan Blackwell

“My piece relates to the theme ‘The World in Your World’ because the pictures I took represent my everyday life: my religion, my ethnicity, and food I eat.” – Jordan

Interested in learning more about ACIS travel scholarships? Check out our scholarship information page here!