How Hmong Culture is Changing in Northern Vietnam

My Scholarship entry - A 'place' I have visited

Vietnam | Tuesday, January 8, 2013 | flickr photos

In February I will complete the greatest accomplishment of my life: a 17 month around-the-world journey. It took 6 years of saving to finally quit my job, put actions behind my dreams and follow my passion for travel and photography. I will never be a simple dreamer again; now I’m a doer.

I love how a simple, static photo can draw powerful emotions from a viewer; I want to use this to share the intense feelings and broken paradigms I experience when traveling. In Latin America, Africa and Asia I witnessed the realities of life for those less fortunate than me, especially women. I cannot return home to only dream of changing this situation.

I do not just want mentoring, I need it. Though I’ve not reached the limits of my self-education on photography, I need meaningful critique and guidance. I need help in creating dramatic photographs that can elicit strong reactions while still maintaining the dignity of the places and people I visit. I want to start a socially conscious business that uses photography to raise awareness, advocate and drive positive changes for the issues I am passionate about.

I need to take action to improve the world around me because now, I’m a doer.