The time has come! Please pick your favorite three photos based on what you feel best represents the theme of the contest (description below). Remember 1st place will receive a $100 gift card, so choose wisely. 

Learn Globally Photo Contest: There's no place like home. Or is there? When someone steps outside their comfort zone, the experience opens them up to a host of new ideas and perspectives. Show us a place outside your "comfort zone" and tell us why.

Contestants: 

1. RJ Nunnally; Graduate - Cyber-security

Japan
I visted Japan during the Summer of 2012. After thinking hard, I have decided to submit this photo of the Shinkansen, or Japanese "Bullet Train," pulling into the train station for the contest. While not the most artistic photo, this image highlights a Japanese icon that changed my perception of mass transit & culture. I never knew that mass transit could run so efficiently and reliably, nor that a train station could be so clean and orderly!  

2. Nia Hampton; Senior - Media & Communications

Quito, Ecuador [San Francisco, the center city]
I wasn't ready for the conservancy of this country. Although things are changing everyday, so far I've learned that my comfort zone involves saying whatever I feel. And here, because of the language barrier as well as the conservative culture, that's just not happening for me. 

3. Caitlyn Leiter-Mason; Senior - Political Science & Gender/Women's Studies

Tunisia
In this picture, I'm just 10 miles from the border of Algeria, standing atop a Byzantine church, looking out over the ancient Roman marble quarry of Chemtou in Western Tunisia.  And do you know why I'm out of my comfort zone?  I'm scared of heights.
Studying abroad was THE most uncomfortable experience I've ever had - I woke up each morning, unsure of what to do; I rode the train each day, unsure of what people were saying around me; I pondered why I had come to this place each afternoon, unsure of how to belong in my new setting.  But I quickly became comfortable being uncomfortable, which is how I ended up scaling the walls of a centuries-old temple to get this incredible view.  Because I had learned that being uncomfortable in the moment, but I'll always have the memories of those views and the joy that comes with them.

4. Kristen McGovern; Senior - Environmental Science Major

Monteverdi, Costa Rica
I studied abroad in Monteverdi, Costa Rica in Spring 2013 with CIEE's Tropical Ecology and Conservation Program. It was honestly one of the best experiences of my entire life. It was really hard to choose one picture because I wanted to choose one that really captured this program. I chose this picture of my friends and I sharing the beauty of a sunset at the end of a long hike in Santa Rose National Park.

5. Charlotte Akinyi; Senior - Graphic Design

This past summer I went skydiving for my birthday on June the 2nd. It was/still is the most exciting yet terrifying thing I have ever done. It was exhilarating and I would encourage everybody to give it a try, atleast once. It was completely outside my comfort zone and being an international student, this country has given me multiple opportunities. I am forever thankful and blessed.

6. Vanessa Rueda; Senior - English

Leicester, England
Spending a semester in Leicester, England was one of the best decisions of my life. Not only did I step completely out of my comfort zone, but I learned what it felt like to be appreciated as a person, which in turn helped me respect and love myself more. In the picture, I'm standing in front of Big Ben as Londoners and tourists hurried by. Nearly a year after going, I still haven't spent a more perfect day than when I spent it in London.

7. Ajinkya Panse; Freshman - Information Systems

Maryland, United States
Popler Ave !!! It serves as the welcoming element to UMBC. It provides easy access to parking and removes the majority of traffic from the center of campus, it remains a physical barrier to the cohesive growth of the campus. The modification of Popler Ave with enhanced tree plantings, crosswalks and signage to alter the character of the roadway and reduce vehicular speeds. It pretty much serves as the center part of the university.

8. Brittany Smith; Senior - Visual Arts (Cinematic Arts)

Ireland
In Ireland, my boss and I took a drive through the Wicklow mountains to take some pictures. Normally I'm not one for hiking or mountain climbing, but we knew the view at the top would be breathtaking. Walking near the edge and looking down at the drop scared me at first, but it was so refreshing and exhilarating after being in the city. I loved my time there.

9. Andres Camacho; Senior - INDS: Entrepreneurship and Digital Communication

Brazil
Studying abroad makes you feel like a kid again. Everything is new and there is so much to explore. 

10. Blair Connolly; Senior - German & Art History

Berlin, Germany

This photo was taken this summer during a 5 week trip to Berlin, Germany at the Brandenburg Gate, a symbol of the German City.   27 Other students were a part of this trip and I had never met a single one of them before. My comfort zone is one where I am surrounded by people I know and I don't tend to put my self in situations where I don't know at least one person. It was definitely a time of growth by first leaving the country for the first time without my family and also getting to know 27 new students from so many different colleges. 

11. Christopher Hogue; Jr. - Visual Arts Major

Italy
A few years ago, I went to Italy with my family. This is a photo from our hotel. This was my first time out of the country.

12. Brenda Brown; Graduate 

There is nothing like going to bed, lying on a hard sleeping pad, tucking yourself under a mosquito net and securing your flashlight to keep a watchful eye on all of the uninvited guests (bugs) that will inevitably invade your limited personal space. 

13. Eva Piera; Graduate Student - Intercultural Communication Program

Fifth Avenue. New York 2012
This image made me think how the World keeps moving in such a hectic way. 
Whether you move along or remain stood, everything keeps changing.
No matter how fast the life goes, sometimes we need to stop, watch and think. 
Everything happens for a reason and everything brings about a lesson.