Students on international work terms in fall 2023, winter 2024 and spring 2024 shared their photos and stories of their their international experiences.
Winners of the 2024 "Where in the World?!" co-op photo contest
1st place: Marcus Yurchuk – Mount Taranaki, New Zealand
In the west-central region of New Zealand’s north island, in Egmont National Park, lies a 2,518m tall dormant volcano called Mount Taranaki. Pictured above is a photo of Mount Taranaki from a neighbouring tarn, which is a glacier formed lake at about 700m elevation. The hike to this site began 2 hours before sunrise to arrive at the tarn before daytime winds disrupted the calmness of the water, allowing for a near perfect reflection.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals represent a call to action for all countries to protect the future of our planet. In Egmont National Park, elements of Goal 15: Life on Land are prevalent and demonstrate New Zealand’s effort to create a sustainable future. Sustainable Taranaki reports over 30 documented extinctions of organisms in New Zealand over the last 100 years. In the Taranaki region, loss in forests, wetlands, and indigenous coastal vegetation have been observed at astounding rates. Recent efforts have shed light on the role that land use and farming methods have on irreversible environmental loss. Biodiversity efforts are now at the forefront of their initiatives in hopes of attracting native wildlife and encouraging regrowth. Learning about these efforts, as well as adopting the principals of environmentally conscious hiking, helped me to further appreciate our life on land.
2nd place: Lokesh Patel – Dolomites, Italy
This moment captured my heart like no other. After waking up at 4:30 a.m. and scrambling to the nearest peak, I found myself completely alone with this breathtaking view. Standing 2,600 meters above sea level at Rifugio Alpe di Tires in the Italian Dolomites, all I could do was watch the sunrise paint the sky while clouds danced below my feet. As someone who has always dreamed of exploring the Alps but never thought it would happen so soon, this moment felt surreal.
My co-op journey with Intrinsic in Munich has been more than just professional growth - it's been about pushing boundaries and embracing the unknown. Moving to Germany to work in robotics was way outside my comfort zone, but it opened doors I never imagined were possible, including the chance to explore these magnificent mountains on weekends.
Standing there, watching the sunrise over the clouds, I realized I wasn't just witnessing my dream - I was quite literally standing above it. This photo captures not just a beautiful moment, but represents everything my international work experience has given me: the courage to venture into the unknown, the reward of pushing past comfort zones, and the pure joy of discovering what lies beyond the horizon.
All finalist photo contest submissions
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