A Crane in Flight Across China

My Scholarship entry - The Army & the Uyghurs in Kashgar

China | Wednesday, October 22, 2014 | flickr photos

I am a freelance journalist currently roaming through China. I graduated from the University of Colorado with degrees in International Affairs and Chinese studies. I am passionate about travel and cultural immersion. I am particularly interested in exploring and documenting the fringes of societies. In China I am drawn towards the ethnic minorities; the Tibetans, the Uyghurs, the Hui, the Dai, most of them really. I believe that learning about these groups, and the way they are treated within the large culture, is an effective—and necessary—method to expose important parts of the larger society. You find out much about white America by how they treat black America. You find out much about Han China by who they treat Tibetan China. I have always loved operating a camera. Though I am a gear-head and can always find joy from tinkering with tools, my love for the camera stems from something more than that. The camera allows me to own the world. With it I can control time. I can freeze moments that if it were not for the flick of my shutter would disappear forever. When done right and with care, photography is the ultimate form of reality-making. In that sense, it is truly liberating.