We Are One

My Photo scholarship 2011 entry

Worldwide | Tuesday, November 8, 2011 | flickr photos

I am a graduating student of biology, marine science, and religious studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and an avid art-hobbyist (though I bought my first “real” camera this past March).

All of my life I’ve been entranced by the wondrous diversity of life -be it in the natural world or the realm of man. Within the last year I had an amazing opportunity to study abroad in Singapore and see the world in ways that I never thought possible. Having always been an animal lover, I was particularly excited about having the opportunity to catch a glimpse of tropical wildlife. Not being one for “creature comforts” and the like, I decided that for my first big trip I would explore some remote areas of west Borneo and attempt to track down a wild orangutan. While the trip was successful in that regard, something unexpected happened. I realized that it wasnt the jungles or the orangutans, or even the wildlife that left an impression on me –it was the people. In my travels since that time, I’ve come to the realization that in spite of our differences we are all one and the same. Across cultural, regional, and imaginary boundaries, we stand together united under the flag of humanity. We may look different, eat differently, think differently, and act differently, but there are ubiquitous human traits that we all share. We are industrious, resilient, joyful, gregarious, and rooted in tradition.

It was very difficult for me to select just five images from my experiences from this past year. I wish more than anything to be able to share all of my experiences –for people to see what I saw...the innate goodness of people. In the end though I chose images which I felt best exemplified a notion that I became increasingly aware of in my travels -that "We Are One."