In her winning photo, “The Bridge to Bird Paradise,” entomology and wildlife ecology and conservation double major Grace Ferry and her classmates are seen trying to identify a keel-billed toucan on the ENWC Costa Rica program led by Kyle McCarthy in Winter 2025.

Telling stories with a picture or a thousand words

Article by Stephanie Ferrell Photos courtesy of Grace Ferry, Sarah Nerhood and Oviyanna Umoh July 14, 2025

Student photos and essays depict study abroad experiences

When Oviyanna Umoh, a neuroscience and psychology double major at the University of Delaware, heard about a study abroad program that included field research in cultural psychology in Kyoto, Japan, last winter, it was an easy decision for her to apply. Not only had the honors undergraduate student already taken her favorite psychology course with the program’s faculty director Beth Morling from the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, but she also had a long-standing affinity for Japan. As a middle schooler, her family had hosted a Japanese exchange student who later became her pen pal, and she had lived vicariously through her older sister’s experience living in Okinawa years later. This opportunity perfectly aligned with her coursework and interests.

Armed with both digital and film cameras, Umoh took pictures of scenery and friends throughout her time abroad. She and her classmates loved showing each other what they had captured each day, and together they dropped more than 4,600 photos into a private photo sharing group that is created for each UD study abroad program.

When Umoh heard about the 2025 Study Abroad Storytelling Contest, she knew just which photo she wanted to submit. This contest for study abroad students shines a spotlight on Blue Hens and their global learning experiences around the world. This annual program hosted by the Center for Global Programs and Services (CGPS) invites students to share their favorite study abroad impressions and memories from the past academic year, through either photos or essays.

Oviyanna Umoh’s winning photo in the Living category of the 2025 Study Abroad Contest captured “Coming of Age Day” in Japan, commemorating their transition into adulthood. “Similar to the girls pictured, I was also experiencing a celebration into adulthood,” said the neuroscience and psychology double major about her experience in the Kyoto, Japan, Cultural Psychology study abroad program led by Beth Morling in Winter 2025.

Photos are submitted to three categories — Living, Learning and Loving the Location — and essays are a written way for students to share their stories. Together, the storytelling contest celebrates the impact these programs have on the student experience and intercultural engagement.

While the Loving the Location category focuses on capturing the essence and energy of the study abroad locations — and definitely attracts the most FOMO-inducing photography — the Learning category captures student perspectives on academic experiences with the global classroom for their program and the Living category honors the people, creatures and places that become part of students’ lives while abroad.

Umoh described her winning photo in the Living category, “Coming of Age Day,” taken during the holiday of the same name: “On the second Monday of January, Japanese youth celebrate Coming of Age Day, commemorating their transition into adulthood. This national holiday is enriched with cultural history, traditional clothing and gratitude for others. Similar to the girls pictured, I was also experiencing a celebration into adulthood and honoring those who helped me along the way. I was ecstatic to capture such a spectacular memory that I can keep forever.“

“This photo felt special enough to submit [to the contest] because it paralleled my own personal experience with coming of age,” Umoh said. “This study abroad experience was my first time leaving the country and first time really leaving the mid-atlantic region. It took so much courage to learn how to apply for a passport, navigate airports and get accustomed to a completely new country and culture.”

While in Japan, Omoh was able to reconnect with the Japanese exchange student she’d met years earlier. Later she and colleagues presented findings from their research in Japan at the Psychological and Brain Sciences Undergraduate Research Symposium back on the Newark campus.

“This program has truly helped me grow in so many aspects of my life. Not only did I learn a lot about Japanese culture, but I learned even more about myself,” Umoh said. “I loved being able to immerse myself into a new culture, immerse myself in new research, and ultimately make lifelong friends and memories.”

This year, the Study Abroad Storytelling Contest received almost 300 photo submissions. The photo portion of the contest included both a public voting component — on the UDGlobal Instagram account — and judging of finalist photos by a panel of judges from throughout campus.

"We're incredibly proud of the many students who embrace the chance to explore the world beyond our campus and grow into globally minded citizens," said Matt Drexler, director of Study Abroad at UD. "We love seeing the powerful stories and stunning photos they share from abroad. These experiences deeply enrich our campus community — bringing fresh perspectives into classrooms and conversations. We welcome every opportunity for students to share their journeys and inspire others."

During the New Zealand KAAP study abroad program in Winter 2025, Blue Hens learned about the relationships among physical activity, exercise, health and disease on the other side of the globe. Winner Sarah Nerhood’s photo featured classmates biking alongside faculty co-director Todd Royer on the Otago Central Rail Trail after learning about the biomechanics of riding a bike.

In her winning photo in the Learning category, “The Bridge to Bird Paradise,” Grace Ferry and her classmates are seen trying to identify a Keel-billed Toucan. A double major in entomology and wildlife ecology and conservation, Ferry chose the ENWC Costa Rica program led by Kyle McCarthy in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources because it not only satisfied credits for her degree but also provided field experience that is critical to her field of study. She and classmates spent their time in the Winter 2025 program at the La Selva Biological Station, which is home to many different bird species, including Great Green Macaws, Golden Tanagers, Rufous Mot Mots and more.

Throughout the month of January, students visited several different locations in Costa Rica and collected all the data from each site. At the end of the month, they compiled the data they collected to understand the biodiversity in each location they visited and in Costa Rica as a whole.

“This was such a great experience for me as a student in a field that is dominated by research,” Ferry said. “Now I am able to write on my resume and tell potential employers that I have first hand experience in field work, which will provide me with ample opportunities.”

Other winners of the photo contest were Natalie Heindel, Carys Hulse, Sarah Nerhood, Alexa Nolin, Meghan Rydell, Lilly Smull and Caroline Stone.

Students who chose to share their story in the form of a personal narrative in the essay portion of the contest described how studying abroad can be a challenging yet rewarding academic and cultural experience. Winners of this written category were World Scholar Adriana Buvač- Drndić, with “Meows and Midnight Talks” from her fall 2024 semester in Athens, Greece; Carolyn Williams, with “A New Motivation” from the Winter 2025 Australia CHEG program; and Rylee Morrison’s ”A Greek Awakening: Don't Try This at Home” from the Winter 2025 Athens Greece LLCU micro program.

Winning photos will be on display in Perkins Student Center all year long. All winning photos and essays were on display at the UD Global Festival in May and are posted on the Storytelling Contest webpage.

About the Center for Global Programs and Services

The Center for Global Programs and Services (CGPS) at the University of Delaware is home to the operations of UD Global, which includes Study Abroad, International Student and Scholar Services, World Scholars Program and Global Outreach and Partnerships. The Center provides leadership and collaborative innovation in support of all of the University's global initiatives and campus internationalization efforts, with its Global 360 Strategy serving as a roadmap for infusing international perspectives throughout the University’s scholarship, research, and service missions. Focused on a student-centered approach, CGPS provides expert advising and a wealth of global engagement opportunities to the UD campus community, including the weekly International Coffee Hour in the fall and spring semesters.

Follow and engage with @UDGlobal on Instagram and LinkedIn for the latest updates on everything global happening at UD. Read the UD Abroad Blog and talk to a Study Abroad Ambassador to learn firsthand about the experiences of Blue Hens abroad.