Photo Contest Gallery 2020: From Pandemic to Protest
From Pandemic to Protest
Each year, we ask our students to submit their best photography from their time studying and working abroad throughout the previous semesters. Seeing the world through their eyes (or lenses) brings us all closer as a community with shared stories and lessons. This year was no different, but the world our students saw was vastly changed. Instead of the traditional study abroad photos, we asked our students to share with us a slice of their lives over the last few months.
Throughout 2020, Elliott School students have shown their resilience. From sacrificing the traditional college experience to keep our community safe, to standing up for what’s right and pushing our country to be better, Elliott School students have proven that they have what it takes to be the next generation of global leaders.
While a winning photo was chosen among the submissions, we felt that more needed to be shared with the stories attached to truly appreciate and honor the shared sacrifices and experiences of our students. Thank you to all who participated.
First Place
Each of these photos was taken in the District, adjacent to both the White House and Black Lives Matter Plaza in early July. Some of the seemingly innumerable signs posted in this area were incredibly powerful and thought-provoking, and these images share just a few of those that caught hold of my attention. Photo taken by Lauren Cabrera, first-year
Honorable Mentions
These photos capture the aftermath of the August 4th Beirut explosion in ‘Mar Michael’, an area which was heavily affected. Photo taken by Kinda Mouchbahani, first-year.
Friday, August 28 2020 my friends and I stood together with our brothers and sisters at the March on Washington the protest police brutality. In this photo, we took a knee at the Martin Luther King memorial to honor our fallen ones in this fight; No Justice, No Peace! Photo taken by Aisha Kamara, M.A. candidate.
Socially Distant Graduation on the steps of the Charleston levee. Photo by Ryan Atassi, first-year.
Pandemic or not, we have always been masked. Photo taken by Wardah Fatima, M.A. candidate.
A Milky Chance concert I went to in Paris before we had to all stand 6+ feet apart. Photo taken by Natalie Dahl, senior.
Protestors march outside the Colorado State Capitol building in Denver, Colorado on May 30, 2020 to protest the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain, and others. Photo taken by Sarah Urtz, junior.
A Moment Before A Failed Jump: After driving around the island of Guam and slowly discovering places, my friends and I ended up at this river. Even though I failed at a flip, it was an amazing experience with nature. Photo taken by Jennifer Schmidt, first-year.
The site of the Beirut explosion in the background with graffiti saying “Goodbye.” This echos many of the Lebanese people after the August 4th disaster. Taken on August 8th. Photo taken by Eyad Sleem, sophomore.
Visiting Grandma during quarantine is a little tricky. Humans may have to social distance, but who said dogs can’t give you a hug? Photo taken by Lauren Clouser, junior.
Pedestrian bridge in Queens, New York with fresh graffiti and expended fireworks, two weeks after the Fourth of July. Nearly every night for a month fireworks would be set off after dark. Photo taken by Elijah Karshner, junior.
Each of these photos was taken in the District, adjacent to both the White House and Black Lives Matter Plaza in early July. Some of the seemingly innumerable signs posted in this area were incredibly powerful and thought provoking, and these images share just a few of those that caught hold of my attention. Photo taken by Lauren Cabrera, first-year.
Texas is one of the most conservative states in the country, and making change is both slow and draining. We help a BLM protest in one of the most COVID-19 infected counties in the state because racial justice matters even during a global pandemic. The “Branding the Brazos” statue in contrast with the protesters shows how we have yet to fully reconcile with our racist past. Photo taken by Emily Mosley, sophomore.
The new normal: wearing masks. Photo taken by Lalitha Shanmugasundaram, first-year.
Gallery
Elliott undergrad Kewei Gong moves and packs medical supplies into postal boxes at a warehouse in Maryland for an international cargo flight to China. Shot at 1347, on Jan 31st, 2020. Photo taken by Jiaxiu Han, M.A. candidate.
A local protest in Stamford, CT where protestors laid down with their hands on their backs chanting “I can’t breathe!” and “No justice no peace.” Photo taken by Kate Capparelle, first-year.
These photos capture the aftermath of the August 4th Beirut explosion in ‘Mar Michael’, an area which was heavily affected. Photo taken by Kinda Mouchbahani, first-year.
Before moving to DC to pursue my MA at GW, I’d been living in Chicago. The CTA (Chicago Transit Authority) is a major aspect of city and local life, which was simultaneously halted for many, but needed to trek on for others. This photo was captured to bring light to that dichotomy – the need for normalcy to continue, without a face in sight. Photo taken by Sarah Miyahara, M.A. candidate.
In the beginning of 2020, I was serving as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Lima, Peru until COVID forced us to travel home. This picture is a shot of the Huacachina Oasis, which I travelled to in late February on a weekend getaway from the city. Photo taken by Rachel Dyl, M.A. candidate.
Socially distanced exploring at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula! #SummertimeInNorthernMichigan. Photo taken by Anna Agnes, M.A. candidate.
Marina Bay trail in Singapore : I took this photo on my last walk outside my house in Singapore, my home of 5 years. This photo is a symbol of change – many firsts and lasts that shape our lives. 2020 is a year of change for all of us and this photo captures it in its true Essence. Photo taken by Samyudha Rajesh, first-year.
Though the virus prevents me from going out, I will keep looking for ways and people to help. Photo taken by Cuei-Hua Liu, first-year.
This photo was taken in the Seattle Autonomous Zone. As soon as the Black man realized the journo, he started to tell the problem about racism and being Black person in the US. At that moment, I thought that Black people have a lack of powerful press organ which will enable them to objectively convey their ideas. [Photo was blurred for subject anonymity]. Photo taken by Yurdum Cokadar, M.A. candidate.
A black lives matter flag is hanging on the statute of Robert E.Lee located on Monument Avenue in Richmond VA. Photo taken by Fikir Zelalem, M.A. candidate.
This is a wet market in Hong Kong, where majority of Hong Kong citizens, including my family shop for produce. Hawkers, who have to bear the hot and humid weather in Hong Kong while wearing masks, set up their stalls on each side on the road in hopes to earn a day’s wage. Photo taken by Arprabhdip Sandhu, M.A. candidate.
Assessing the situation on the southern border, despite the pandemic and being heavily guarded, it’s still grounds for many migrants fleeing our countries in Central America. The northern border of Mexico during the pandemic, it’s still both a beautiful, but deadly place, especially for migrants. Photo taken by Josue Rivera, M.A. candidate.
This photo was taken in Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic. A great representaton of what I’ve been doing in quarantine, going to the beach and watching beautiful sunsets. Photo taken by Natalie Diez, first-year.
BLM protesters vs. MAGA demonstrators in front of the Washington Monument in July 4th. The scene instantly remind me the Elbe Day, April 25, 1945. Photo taken by Deye Li, sophomore.
A cat and an Elliott student have been drafted into national service. Their assignment? Sleep all day during quarantine. Photo taken by Galen Ekimov, junior.
“Coyoacán in the ‘New Normal'” depicts two policemen supervising the heart of Coyoacán, Mexico City’s notoriously colonial municipality, setting the standard of wearing a mask in public, while people slowly gain trust to eat at restaurants amidst the pandemic. Photo taken by Marijose Martinez Lorenzo, M.A. candidate
The first photo is from January 2020, taken on the beach in Tela, Atlántida Department, Honduras. Although the skies are gray, and it feels like in 2020 the skies have been gray for a long time, it is a reminder of how beautiful life and nature truly are. Photo taken by Cole Matino, sophomore.
This photo shows tourists on a “Vaporetto” ship in Venice, all wearing masks, in front of the famous St. Mark’s Square. I chose this picture because it shows the “new normal” of 2020. Photo taken by Benjamin Stone, sophomore.
Located about one mile off the coast of mainland China, the island of Kinmen was shelled and bombarded by the People’s Liberation Army intermittently for decades. The island is littered with approximately 450,000 artillery shells, which blacksmiths on the island melt down to make kitchen knives. Photo taken by Steven Bernstein,
My sister bakes a cake with our dog, Eli, while our family is under quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo taken by Sarah Urtz, junior.
Moroccan Sahara dessert. Austrian travelers were doing flips down the sand dunes. Photo taken by Natalie Dahl, senior.
This semester I was studying abroad in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. In a matter of days our program went from fully functioning to closed. Being abroad during this uncertain time was extremely stressful. In this photo, I am in a Buddhist Temple in Ho Chi Minh City’s Chinatown. This photo was taken on one of the last days in Vietnam, moments before finding out the fate of our program. At this temple we were lighting incense and candles that served as prayers and wishes for safety during this pandemic. Photo taken by Maxwell Webb, senior.
Wall of Shame – Students on a school trip hang out between the supports for what remains of the Berlin Wall. This park and others like it are neighborhood green spaces where families come to picnic and couples to flirt but they also serve to educate and remind people about a painful history. Photo taken by Miranda Sieg, M.A. candidate.
Truck stop in the middle of the Jordan River Valley. Sunlight through a break in a storm. Left over Tank from the 6 Days War. January. Photo taken by Aaron Minkoff, M.A. candidate.
A female young couple with balloons and roses on the Charles Bridge in Orague. Photo taken by Linfei Zhang, senior.
Playing Chinese board games with friends. Analyze the truth of the matter through the plot and personality. Photo taken by Yuchen Hu, M.A. candidate.
One if the biggest known protests in the history of Philadelphia, marching from The Philadelphia Museum of Art to City Hall, protesting for Black Lives Matter. There was an estimated 100,000 protestors. Photo taken by Nicole Loonstyn, first-year.
Be proud and wear your masks. (The lion outside of national zoo). Photo taken by Xinwen Liang, sophomore.
Leaving Russia on 1 of 2 weekly flights out of the entire country. The Moscow Sheremetyevo airport departures board only shows 3 flights that day, to Indonesia, India, and New York. Photo taken by Erin Dienst, M.A. candidate.
“Oil Obstacles” is a macro shot of the ridges on a canvas, filled by drying paint. The image is a result of my desire to combine disciplines (the painting itself is a separate project of mine), and is intended to challenge two dimensional perspectives by proving that closer analysis allows one to find the shape and life in something formerly thought to be lacking of dimension. It also emphasizes the middle ground as another play on dimensions, and to make a metaphorical statement on the clarity of our past and future as opposed to living in the middle, in the moment. Photo taken by Lauren Schramm, first-year.
Residents and activists of the Hampton Roads area held a protest to stand against police brutality and had a meaningful interaction with the Chief of Police, Larry Boone, who marched alongside protesters. Photo taken by Negus Assefa, M.A. candidate.
With the Corona Virus worsening the already existing economic crisis in Lebanon and leading to a food security crisis, two fishermen try to catch fish to sell at the market. Photo taken by Noura Hassouna, M.A. candidate.
Throughout the pandemic, I’ve spend much of my time immersing myself in nature. This photo is of my dad overlooking our hike up Waterville Valley in New Hampshire. Photo taken by Skye Jannery-Barney, sophomore.
I was happy to receive the health package from the Chinese embassy. Our motherland never forgets us! Photo taken by Jiayi Zhang, M.A. candidate.
Black Lives Matters social justice protest at Lafayette Square in June, 2020. Photo taken by Alagie Jammeh, M.A. candidate.
This photo was taken during the early stages of the pandemic at my Quaker Meeting house in Massachusetts. The “May Peace Prevail on Earth” post stands at the front of our meeting, welcoming guests. Photo taken by Emily Philbrook, sophomore.
