Miss Travel Girl

My Photo scholarship 2011 entry

Worldwide | Tuesday, November 8, 2011 | 5 photos

Three weeks before I started my first year in college at Savannah College of Art and Design, I was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa, a condition whereby individuals slowly lose vision. I moved on with my life by not only going to an art university where I majored in photography but also traveling around the world to appreciate everything while I have usable vision. My camera became a tool to study different cultures, meet new people to learn about their lifestyles, and broaden my French and Spanish communication skills. Learning about different cultures has been the part of my travels I have found the most inspiring.

For instance, while people in Australia and people from my country, the United States, share the same language and English settlers founded both countries, I learned through speaking to residents of Australia as I was photographing them that they have a unique culture. In my home country, the US, as soon as customers receive their orders at a café, they leave immediately to go to work, school, or wherever they need to go. At parks in the US, I noticed that there are hardly any people except during special events. As an American tourist in Australia, I was in awe of the people who simply enjoyed the life of the outdoors by taking time to drink at a café in the morning, as well as utilize green spaces to exercise, relax, or picnic.

My photographs have also become tools to educate people about other cultures by sharing facts as they view my photographs.

I plan to continue to use photography skills to learn and educate others about different cultures.