少女福利

Saint Michael鈥檚 College places an emphasis on global engagement and international education, encouraging students to take part in experiences both on campus and abroad.聽

Studying abroad has been an option to students for decades, allowing them to expand their learning in a new country through classes, internships, service, and other experiences. However, it鈥檚 not always easy for returning students to share how their experiences affected them.

The Global Eyes Photography Competition at St. Mike鈥檚 has served as that outlet 鈥� allowing students to show, not just tell, stories about their trips abroad. In April, the contest celebrated its 25th anniversary.

“Jesus Alatorre Avina” by Olivia Miller-Johnson, winner of the “People and the Human Spirit” category in the 2026 Global Eyes photography contest. The photo was taken during Miller-Johnson’s travels in Maricopa County, Arizona, and Mexico.

Looking back

The photography competition was started by Kelly Cullins, former Director of Study Abroad, and Professors Jon Hyde and Kimberly Sultze in the Digital Media and Communications department, formerly Media Studies, Journalism, and Digital Arts.

鈥淧rofessor Hyde and I were really interested in promoting study abroad,鈥� Sultze said. 鈥淭o me, it鈥檚 one of the best things a student can do at St. Mike鈥檚. To go abroad and get the cross-cultural experience that shifts you out of a lot of things you assumed were universal here in the U.S.鈥�

They took time to consider categories and judging criteria, and were supported and encouraged by Mark vanderHeyden, who was President of the college at that time.

鈥淚t was about promoting those experiences for students, and giving them an additional forum to share stories of what they did, the courses they took, and what they learned about the culture while they were abroad,鈥� Sultze said.

At its core, the competition has remained the same, but there have been notable shifts in study abroad and student work, Peggy Imai, the current Director of Study Abroad, said.

鈥淚n the beginning, there were very few students who went abroad in the summer,鈥� Imai said.
鈥淣ow, it鈥檚 the opposite; our summer numbers have gone up.鈥�

“Morning Stroll” by Erin Boyd, 2026 winner of the “Culture Most Distinct from SMC” category of Global Eyes. The photo was taken during Boyd’s travels in H脿 Giang Province, Vietnam.

Evolving offerings

There are many different paths students can take when finding a study abroad program these days, whether it鈥檚 a full semester in a chosen country, a summer internship, or a 2-week faculty-led trip.聽

In the summer, students who meet the criteria can choose to complete a French or Spanish internship program in France or Spain, respectively, which is almost entirely paid for by the Institute for Global Engagement.聽

Another summer option is an internship in either Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, or Seoul, South Korea, fully funded by the Freeman Foundation.聽

These cost-efficient options, which also allow for work experience, have become popular in recent years.聽

Sophie Burt 鈥�26, a Digital Media and Communications major, is one of the students who completed a summer internship in Paris, France, and subsequently took part in Global Eyes.聽

鈥淲hen selecting images for Global Eyes, I wanted to choose those that would not only have visual impact but also tell a story of my journey of self-growth,鈥� Burt said. 鈥淭o live alone and navigate a foreign country where I barely spoke the language was incredibly life-changing, and my photographs were a small sliver of that鈥澛�

Imai shared that more people who study abroad have the ability to take photos now, especially as technology has evolved. Some participants, like Burt, study and have an interest in photography, but that鈥檚 not a requirement for the competition.

鈥淵ou have more people taking photos because now, we have phones,鈥� Imai said. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e not having to lug around huge cameras.鈥�

“Paris Painter Painting Paris” by Sophie Burt, winner of the “People’s Choice Award” for Global Eyes in 2025.

While not all of these submissions will be professional-level photos, the contest still gives more students the opportunity to share their experience.

鈥淎s time has gone on, more and more students are taking time with the description, and the quality of the photo may not be prize-winning, but the judges wanted to acknowledge that the written descriptions were quite impressive,鈥� Imai said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 now a category of best written description that was not in place in the very beginning.鈥�

The places students go and the technology may have changed, but what hasn鈥檛 is the community-building Global Eyes allows for.聽

鈥淛udges in the early days got the printed binder; now you can have that, or there鈥檚 a digital display of the images and the captions,鈥� Sultze said. 鈥淓ach of us ranks photos in the category, and then the points get tallied up. There is a dinner meeting where we go through the results and work out any tie breaks, and talk about the photograph. It鈥檚 a really amazing time.鈥�

Judges come from different backgrounds and departments, including professors of Digital Media and Communications, Sociology and Anthropology, and Art and Design.聽

鈥淭he best part for me over the years has been the social interactions with faculty in the judges meeting,鈥� Sultze said. 鈥淭alking about the photographs, the captions, and students鈥� experiences. Also, at the ceremony, the social interactions with students.鈥�

Celebrating 25 years

On Thursday, April 9th, the 25th Global Eyes awards ceremony and reception were held in the Dailey Room in Durick Library. Former Study Abroad Director Cullins, her husband, and many members of the St. Mike鈥檚 community attended to show support for student participants and to hear their experiences from traveling abroad.

鈥淲e had the former president of St. Mike鈥檚, Mark vanderHeyden, and his wife, Dana, there,鈥� Sultze said. 鈥淭hey were always great supporters of both the visual arts and cross-cultural experiences and international education. It was quite fitting. VanderHeyden was the president when we started this 25 years ago, and Dana was one of the judges from the very beginning.鈥�

“Illumination” by Liam Simard, taken during his experience abroad in London, England. The photograph won several awards during the 2026 Global Eyes contest, including first prize in the category “City Life,” the Kroger-Krikstone Best of Show Award, and the People’s Choice Award.

Burt, who won the People鈥檚 Choice Award in 2025, felt honored to have had a photograph that impacted her peers.

鈥淚 wanted to bring back and share just a fraction of what I experienced,鈥� Burt said. 鈥淭o know that my peers saw my love for the city and my newfound confidence through my photograph was one of the biggest joys.鈥�

This, Imai said, can inspire other students to go abroad.

鈥淲hen you see the photos and read the descriptions, you understand that these students have had sometimes life-changing experiences, certainly a broadening of what international means,鈥� Imai said.聽

The 25th anniversary was a celebration of all things St. Mike鈥檚: the community, student work, and broadening perspectives.

鈥�25 years of anything is a good thing,鈥� Imai said. 鈥淪tudents who are here now weren鈥檛 even born yet when the exhibit began. We considered it a milestone. When you look at the thousands of photos that have been submitted to the contest over the years, it鈥檚 impressive for a little place like this.鈥�

View this year’s Global Eyes winners here.聽