Here are the latest in our new student photo submissions.  If you are an incoming student please see this entry for details on how to submit your own photos.

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The first set of photos were submitted by Mai Shintani, an incoming MIA student who grew up in Kauai, Hawaii.

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The baobab tree never fails to amaze me. While in the Gambia with the Peace Corps, my assignment was serving as an environment volunteer, in a dry barren landscape, these trees were my only hope of sending the important message of tree planting to the Gambian youth.

I have been a dancer since age 4, mostly sharing the aloha spirit through dance . . . and during my time in the Peace Corps.

These tortoises were HUGE!!! Seeing these guys, reminded me how amazing and precious mother nature is.

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The second set of photos were submitted by Diana Carolina Pereira from Colombia, an incoming MIA  student who will be studying International Security Policy.

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This first picture was taken in one of our military forts during and activity of the Ministry of National Defense where I work called Soldier for One Day. This is me standing by one of the helicopters used to rescue 15 members of our military, one former presidential candidate and 3 american citizens kidnapped by FARC guerrillas and held for 10 years in the jungle.

As part of the activities of Soldier for One Day, we receive training in areas such as parachuting. This is me with the equipment ready to make a jump from a 14 meter tower. I was the first to go and it was great.

To change the subject, this is a picture taken from a boat in Cartagena, Colombia on our way to Islas del Rosario. These are two men that catch shrimp, preparing it right there as “ceviche” to be sold to passing tourist boats. Doesn’t get any fresher than that.

Dear incoming students, please continue to send in photos.  Last summer we had close to 100 entries and I would like to eclipse that this year if possible.  So if you have not submitted photos yet, please do so.  Instructions on how to submit are here.

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The first set of photos come from Ethan Wilkes, an incoming focusing in Economic and Political Development.

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At the feet of the “Great Leader” – North Koreans of all walks of life are required to pay their respects to the late Kim Il Sung, “President for life” of the DPRK (a title which he continues to retain well into death…). Here is a group of schoolgirls doing exactly that at the feet of a VERY large statue of him.

China’s Wild West – in the area known as Kham, traditionally the eastern frontier of Tibet and now the whole of western Sichuan Province, a monk, two ‘cowboys’ and a Han settler share a drink.

Yours truly defying a bit of gravity myself in the wilds of western China.

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The next set of photos is from Nathan Gardner, an incoming MIA student.

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Taken in Autumn of 2007 during Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) holiday in South Korea.  I took this picture in Kangwa Island during a temple stay.  The stone guardian is for a nearby burial mound and in the background is a traditional Korean house with a gate and surrounding wall. This type of housing is rare for South Koreans because most live in high rise apartments in urban areas.

During the Spring of 2009 in Washington, DC I took this while volunteering with the Japan-America Society during the Sakura Matsuri and National Cherry Blossom Festival.  The performer in the middle is a dancing lion accompanied by a flute player and narration.

While backpacking through South East Asia in the Winter of 2008 I took this photo in Laos.  Located on the top of Phu Si, which is a tall steep hill in the center of and overlooking the old capital of Luang Prabang.  This was a creative way to use US ordnance from the 1960s-70s.