KSU’s Education Abroad department announced the winners of the 2012 Essay and Photo Contests on Tuesday, holding a reception at the Education Abroad office to celebrate the students’ accomplishments.
Jillian Oates, the first place essayist who wrote about a hot summer day in Kampala, Uganda, won with her piece, “A Moment in Time.” Oates, a Human Services major, tells a story about her experiences in Uganda, including memories of safaris, fried grasshoppers, and Ugandan traffic.
The piece begins with a ride through Kampala to retrieve a stolen passport. “Heat from the afternoon sun blended with exhaust fumes from the surrounding traffic,” Oates writes, “making our taxicab swelter.”
During the ride, she’s accompanied by her guide and friend Immaculate who, although she’s gone much of the day without eating or rest, tells a famished Jillian, “Man does not live by bread alone!” Such wisdom brought Jillian and Immaculate closer together.
“I really felt a shift in my mindset because of what Immaculate said,” Oates said. “She was quoting a scripture from the Bible that I am familiar with, but in that moment it took on personal meaning.”
“[Immaculate] became a dear friend to me and many others on the trip,” Oates said. “I always felt that she wanted us to be there. I think she really understood that we were all more than just her clients, and being with us was more than just her job.”
With Immaculate’s help, the visiting students to Uganda were able to work with the Kampala Kids’ League, helping to conduct sports activities for children with physical impairments. Besides humanitarian activities, the group rode on safaris and rafted the Nile.
Oates’ story in Kampala is a special one, however, as she interacts with the city for the first time on her own, “without the company of twenty other Muzungus.” Muzungu is the Lugandan term for “aimless wanderers,” or tourists.
Other winners of the essay contest include Megan Hoogstad in second place, Teigan McIntosh in third place, and Rosemary Warner with an honorable mention. The Education Abroad department holds an essay and photo contest annually for any students who have traveled with KSU.
The winning entries for the photo contest can be found on KSU’s study abroad website: (www. kennesaw.edu/studyabroad/ photocontest.html)
