15 countries, 6 continents — go globe-trotting with ‘Mountaineers Abroad’

BOONE, N.C. — From the Sahara Desert of Morocco to the rooftops of Venice, Italy, photos from “Mountaineers Abroad” — the theme of Appalachian State University’s 2019 International Education Week (IEW) Photo Contest — bring the world and its people, geography and cultures to the Appalachian Community.

“International Education Week is all about creating opportunities for diverse perspectives to be heard and to engage the world right here on campus,” said Dr. Jesse Lutabingwa, associate vice chancellor of international education and development, director of international research and development and professor of public administration. “IEW is also about promoting international understanding that prepares Appalachian students to live and work in a global environment, as well as attracting future leaders from abroad to study at Appalachian.”

The Office of International Education and Development (OIED) at Appalachian partnered with student clubs, faculty members and departments across campus to bring over a dozen cultural events to Appalachian’s campus during IEW, Nov. 18–22.

This year’s IEW Photo Contest received 75 student entries and 18 faculty and staff entries. A panel of students judged faculty and staff photographs, and a panel of faculty and staff judged the student entries.

“Whether students study abroad or engage in globally focused research, studies or extracurriculars, we want everyone to have a transformational global experience as part of their academic career here at Appalachian,” Lutabingwa said.

See below for the winners and runners-up in this year’s contest. The photos will be on display in front of 226 Linville Falls (Room 226) in Plemmons Student Union until Nov. 27.

To learn more about IEW at Appalachian, click here.

For more information about IEW worldwide, visit http://iew.state.gov.

2019 winners

Students

• First place — Hannah Popp
  Class year: senior.
  Major: psychology.
  Hometown: Mooresville.
  Photo title: “Footprints.”
• Second place — Callie Gunzenhauser
  Class year: senior.
  Majors: English and anthropology.
  Hometown: Kill Devil Hills.
  Photo title: “Bulgarian Kukeri Dancer.”
• Third place — Sol Carson Eure
  Class year: senior.
  Major: political science.
  Hometown: Concord.
  Photo title: “Gateway to Jannah.”

Faculty/staff

• First place — Dr. Lubna Nafees
  Title: assistant professor.
  Campus unit: Department of Marketing and Supply Chain Management, Walker College of Business (WCOB).
  Photo title: “Peekaview!”
• Second place — Laura Johnston ’99
  Title: executive assistant.
  Campus unit: Facilities Operations.
  Photo title: “Rainy Sunday in October (Brasov, Romania)”
• Third place — Dr. Garner Dewey
  Title: associate dean.
  Campus unit: College of Fine and Applied Arts (CFAA).
  Photo title: “Abuna Yemata Guh.”

2019 runners-up

Students

• Kristen Bradley
  Class year: junior.
  Major: elementary education.
  Hometown: Cary.
  Photo title: “Roaming the Streets of Venice.”
• Kira Brisotti
  Class year: senior.
  Major: building sciences.
  Hometown: Greensboro.
  Photo title: “Rooftops of Firenze.”
• Valerie Daratony ’19
  Class year: graduate student.
  Major/program: romance languages, Spanish K–12 teaching concentration.
  Hometown: Four Oaks.
  Photo title: “Radiant.”
• Chase Faine
  Class year: junior.
  Major: computer science.
  Hometown: Landis.
  Photo title: “Garden of Japan.”
• Joshua Horine
  Class year: junior.
  Major: studio art.
  Hometown: Boone.
  Photo title: “Reverberations of the Pianist.”
• Rachael Kelley
  Class year: junior.
  Major: English.
  Hometown: Mickleton, New Jersey.
  Photo title: “Dancing with Color.”
• Ian Krintz ’15
  Class year: graduate student.
  Major/program: engineering physics.
  Hometown: Fairview.
  Photo title: “Home is Where the Mountains Are.”

Faculty/staff

• Dr. Susan Hedges
  Title: assistant professor.
  Campus unit: Department of Reading Education and Special Education, Reich College of Education (RCOE).
  Photo title: “Mount Huashan, China’s Grandfather Mountain.”
• Dr. Tim Huelsman
  Title: professor and director of the Industrial-Organizational Psychology and Human Resource Management (IOHRM) master’s program.
  Campus unit: Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences (CAS).
  Photo title: “La Cocina, Taking a Break.”
• Amber Mellon
  Title: lecturer.
  Campus unit: Department of Mathematical Sciences, CAS.
  Photo title: “The Sailor’s Welcome.”
• Jeanne Mercer-Ballard
  Title: associate professor.
  Campus unit: Department of Applied Design, CFAA.
  Photo title: “Framing the Campo de Fiori.”
• Mary Anne Redding
  Title: curator and assistant director.
  Campus unit: Turchin Center for the Visual Arts.
  Photo title: “Street Art, Valparaiso, Chile, 2019.”
• Vivek Shastry
  Title: academic adviser.
  Campus unit: CFAA.
  Photo title: “Desert Lead.”
• Nicole Williams
  Title: Master of Health Administration graduate program specialist.
  Campus unit: Department of Nutrition and Health Care Management, Beaver College of Health Sciences (BCHS).
  Photo title: “Bamburgh Castle, Northumberia, England, Anglo-Saxon era fortification, rehabbed 19th and 20th century.”

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International Education Week

A joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education

International Education Week (IEW) is an opportunity to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide. This joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education is part of our efforts to promote programs that prepare Americans for a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn, and exchange experiences.

Learn more

Global Learning at Appalachian

It’s not enough to be globally aware. Appalachian graduates must be globally competent.

National surveys indicate that high school seniors and their families — as well as employers — expect college graduates to develop an increased global awareness and/or competency, as they will likely encounter coworkers, clients and neighbors from different cultures in their professions. Appalachian has adopted Global Learning for its Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), an important component of our accreditation.

Learn more

About the Office of International Education and Development

The OIED is responsible for spearheading the internationalization efforts at Appalachian. The internationalization mission of Appalachian is to develop awareness, knowledge, appreciation and respect of cultural differences in both domestic and international contexts in its students, faculty, staff and the surrounding communities. The university is also dedicated to creating a campus environment that builds the theoretical and practical skills needed to interact effectively in a global society. Learn more at https://international.appstate.edu.

About Appalachian State University

As the premier public undergraduate institution in the Southeast, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The Appalachian Experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and to embrace diversity and difference. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System. Appalachian enrolls nearly 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.