Students Win Awards for Photos at Study-Abroad Programs

Photographs taken by Knox College students at study-abroad programs have won a first place award and two honorable mentions in a regional competition sponsored by the Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM).

The three photos are featured in a traveling exhibit hosted by Knox and other ACM member schools. In all, 95 photos were submitted for the contest through the ACM colleges' off-campus study offices.

Rebeccah Lanni's photograph, "República Cromañón," received a first place award.The photo was taken taken while Lannji was studying at Knox's program in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Lanni described her photo: "The nightclub fire at República Cromañón was a tragic event for Buenos Aires, where 194 people, most between the ages of 18-30 years old, died from smoke inhalation when the club started on fire. The club lacked proper emergency exits and was over the legal capacity and the deaths were therefore attributed to the negligence of the nightclub managers and government inspectors. The victims' friends and families created a homemade memorial by tying up the victims' only slightly burnt shoes on the phone lines as a lasting memory of the horrific tragedy that occurred on December 30, 2004."

Lanni is a senior psychology major from Gurnee, Illinois.

"Afternoon Escape," by Joanna Stack, received honorable mention.The photo was taken in Beijing's Pan Jia Yuan Flea Market, while Stack was at the Chinese Studies Institute, at Beijing University. Stack describes her photo: "In a city of over 13 million people, the quiet, calm moments are rare and often go unnoticed. As Pan Jia Yuan swelled with activity in the afternoon sun, this flea market princess snuck away for a moment of peace between the yards of Technicolor cloth. I took this photo feeling as if I was the only witness to her getaway. I looked back and realized she had already slipped away, reminding me not only of Beijing's constant pace, but also of how fleeting the study abroad experience is."

Stack is a junior from Chicago.

"Perito Moreno," by Nick Kalmus, received honorable mention.The photo was taken at the Perito Moreno Glacier in Santa Cruz Province, Argentina, while Kalmus was studying at the Knox College Program in Buenos Aires. Kalmus describes his photo: "The photo really captures the immense size of the glacier and the otherworldly atmosphere that the environment provided. This photo, for me, feels frozen in time - it portrays a perfect moment."

Kalmus is a senior from Elmhurst, Illinois, majoring in studio art.

Four Knox students won awards last year, the ACM's first Off-Campus Study Photo Contest. The competition was started as part of the consortium's 50th Anniversary celebration. The ACM colleges have been pioneers in off-campus study and have collaborated since the early 1960s to provide off-campus study opportunities in the U.S. and around the world.

In addition to Knox, other ACM members are Beloit College, Carleton College, Coe College, Colorado College, Cornell College, Grinnell College, Lake Forest College, Lawrence University, Luther College, Macalester College, Monmouth College, Ripon College, and St. Olaf College.

Founded in 1837, Knox is a national liberal arts college in Galesburg, Illinois, with students from 47 states and 48 countries. Knox's "Old Main" is a National Historic Landmark and the only building remaining from the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates.