Announcing #StudyAbroadGoals Campaign Winners!

Lonely Planet, STA Travel, and GoAbroad.com came together to break down barriers to studying abroad and help aspiring study abroad students achieve their goals. The campaign offered a variety of prizing, including a copy of the Guide to Studying Abroad for every entrant.

To contribute towards greater accessibility of international travel programs and opportunities, our three powerhouse organizations teamed up to offer a $2,500 scholarship, discounted flights, and prizes from co-sponsors including Cotopaxi, Babbel, Hydro Flask, GigSky, International Student Insurance, and G Adventures.

Together we are thrilled to share the winners from our #StudyAbroadGoals campaign!

Meet the Grand Prize Winner

Bradley Winograd of New City, New York is thrilled to be the recipient of our grand prize ($2,000 Flight Voucher from STA Travel AND a $3,000 Study Abroad Scholarship from Lonely Planet AND a Study Abroad Starter Kit with goodies from all the sponsors)! This Drexel University student will be high-tailing it abroad to Iceland starting in December 2018.

[View Bradley’s FundMyTravel Campaign to learn more & help cover additional costs!]

Bradley Winograd, Grand Prize Winner of #StudyAbroadGoals

Here’s what he has to say about his win and his upcoming study abroad:

How did you feel when you found out you won?

It was a Wednesday morning when I found out I won. I thought at first that the day would be normal until I checked my email. I unlocked my phone and saw “Congratulations you’re the grand prize winner!” I absolutely couldn’t believe it, I was speechless. I didn’t want to scream because my roommate was still sleeping, but I was so jittery and excited that I would now be able to go on my study abroad trip to Iceland!

First thing I did was forward it to my parents saying “Omg. I did it.” After my first class, I immediately told my advisor and went to the study abroad office, but unfortunately I walked in outside walk-in hours, so I sent her an email. As I’m walking out, I hear a scream from someone saying “Guess what everyone! One of our students won the #StudyAbroadGoals campaign! This is amazing! He just sent me an email!” I walk in to the hallway and look at her and she said, “Omg, wait. Is that you?! Are you the one who won?! Come into my office now! We need to talk about this pronto!”

How do you feel your study abroad experience will contribute to your academic experience and/or professional development?

I chose the Green Program Study Abroad to Iceland because I am currently an Architecture student who minors in Sustainable Building. During this trip, we will learn about geothermal and hydro-electric energy through Reykjavik University, while developing a capstone project about how we can sustainably change the world through developments in new technology, all while going on glacier hikes, camping under the Northern Lights, visiting hot springs, and seeing a famous volcano. I feel this will help me as an architect because I feel that it is necessary that as designers we should build not only for humanity, but for nature as well. I presently feel, that we as humans tend to neglect nature, treating it as something we should not put importance on.

By going abroad to Iceland, I hope to further develop my ideas of how we can protect the environment, while creating something that is not only beneficial to us, but is also regenerative to the planet.

What attracted you to the #StudyAbroadGoals campaign?

What attracted me to the #StudyAbroadGoals Campaign was GoAbroad’s philosophy of how traveling abroad brings forth a change in the people who go and how they can use their experience to affect others as well. I’ll never forget the first time I travelled to Japan because now when I look back, it’s hard to think of what a person I was before going abroad. I feel that study abroad really does evoke a change in a person for the better because they experience wonder, discomfort, and confusion while experiencing awe and revelation. Traveling to a place you are not accustomed to really changes you as a person because you realize how little you previously knew and then take that newfound knowledge and share it with the people around you.

In your opinion, why is meaningful international travel so important?

I feel international experience is important because we often grow up with the beliefs and culture of our native country. The idea that the world is not much different from where we grew up, yet when we travel into a new country, our preconceived notions shatter as we experience things we never have experienced before. Culture and food are one thing we are exposed to first, just like how we behave in certain ways and eat our traditional cuisine, we are exposed to the food and customs of other people. It’s ideas like this that inspired me to watch Andrew Zimmern and the late Anthony Bourdain. These two brilliant chefs taught me that the world truly is a complex place and we should open up to discomfort in order to go beyond the norm. However, it is when we watch and analyze our new locations that we recognize solutions and ideas to change our own community. This is what evokes the climax of a person’s voyage to another land because they realize that where they traveled, changed them.

As part of the grand prize, Bradley’s institution, Drexel University, also received another $1,000 Scholarship from STA Travel to award to another deserving study abroad student!

[View Bradley’s FundMyTravel Campaign to learn more & help cover additional costs!]