The first three photos come from Jonathan Camuzeaux, an incoming MIA student.

“Faces” was shot in Allur, a village in Tamil Nadu where SEVAI’s main offices are. These children (Bana Pria, Deepika and Keerthik) lived in the Allur Sevai Center and had their education sponsored by the NGO.

“White” was shot in Tamil Nadu, India, in a small village named Pettavaithalai, close to Trichy. I was completing an internship there for the Indian NGO SEVAI (Society for Education, Village Action and Improvement). This old man was waiting, with numerous other villagers, for a free medical check-up organized by the NGO. We started talking and I asked him if I could take a picture of him. I was fascinated by his intense gaze.

“Memories of You” was taken for a friend I haven’t seen for a while, in the 18th arrondissement, in Paris. It is also a tribute to an amazing performance of the eponymous song, by Rahsaan Roland Kirk and Jacki Byard.

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These photos come from Meredith Hutchison.

Emerging at sunset – Kala Refugee Camp, Zambia

Francis and Chicken – Kala Refugee Camp, Zambia.  Francis tries to catch a chicken for dinner.

Ninja vs. girl.  Gaudi Park, Barcelona

The following photos come from incoming MIA student James Canonge.

Where the photo was taken:  Jérémie, Haiti
A brief description of the photo:  These guys would hang around the construction site of an orphanage we were building in rural Haiti.  Eager to show us some local produce, one climbed a nearby tree and plucked this unripe orange.  Haiti’s violent slums are notorious, but here the machete is only used to divvy a refreshing afternoon snack.

Where the photo was taken:  Damascus, Syria
A brief description of the photo:  The covered end of ٍSharia al-Mustaqim is lined with spice vendors and couturiers.  The taxi drivers and goods traders race up and down this busy street from morning until night, but the pace inside the shops is much calmer.  I like how the contrasting atmospheres have been captured in this photo.

The following comes from Diyana Ishak, incoming MIA Candidate.
Where the photo was taken: Isfahan, Iran
A brief description of the photo: This photo was taken during my trip to Iran in March 2007. The photo is a view of Imam Khomeini Square in Isfahan, a large city south of Tehran. Recently, it was the site of demonstrations against the outcome of the June 12 elections. The trip was an eye-opening experience for me, and you are welcome to read more about my experiences there on Foreign Policy’s blog: http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/blog/33. My thoughts and prayers are with Iranians now as they face incredibly challenging times.

The first two photos were submitted by Yi Ren, an incoming MPA student.

This photo was taken in June of 2007 in Lugu Lake, Yunnan Province of China. I was exactly astonished by the purified natural landscape. It was hard to catch this scene because if you went there in a rainy day you would have got nothing but a messy pond of marsh. Good luck to you if you wish to visit the best ever wonderland of minor ethnic region in south west China. It would take a long journey to bring you there which make the place more divine and more marvelous.

This is me. The photo was taken in May of 2009, one month ago. I went to Nanjing for a couple of weeks for visiting my friend, who took it. I don’t intend to show off but it is really a harmonious combination between human and nature. I tore when I saw it. This is a ground of very plain grassland in Nanjing Normal University, quiet but never eye-catching. This case told me that beauty is nowhere until you open you eyes with hearts to discover them.

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The following photos come from incoming MIA student Oleksiy Krylov.

“Capetown”. This photo was taken in October 2008 from the flight deck of USS Theodore Roosevelt near Capetown, South Africa. Famous Table Mountain surrealistically rising above aircraft carrier. We were anchored out and heavy seas didn’t let crew leave the ship on the first day of our port visit.

“Oxford”. This photo was taken in April 2009 inside the gallery of one of the oldest Universities in Europe, Oxford. I loved medieval Oxford’s atmosphere and would definitely go back.