Kelly Lawson, senior in materials engineering, thought she took a pretty nice photo of Venice while she was overseas for study abroad. She never thought it would go anywhere.

The photo, showing a boat in the canals of the famous submerged city, won a photo contest sponsored by the Study Abroad Office.

“Everyone has a postcard picture of Venice in their head and it looks just like that,” Lawson says. “It completely fits that image.”

Lawson was one of 56 students who submitted a photo to the contest, only open to participants of a study abroad program, says Andy Haugen, Australia Regents Program Coordinator and contest organizer.

The photo was one moment of hundreds Lawson can recount from her trip.

Haugen says the photos were judged by attendees of the International Opportunities Fair held Monday.

The top five photos will be posted on the study abroad Web site.

Lawson had the opportunity to travel with a friend before returning home last summer. Venice — where she snapped the photo — was just one of the stops along the way.

Lawson says she was inspired by the scenery in the scenery.

“My friend and I sat on the Rialto Bridge for two hours just watching the sunset,” she says. “We were amazed by where we were and what we were doing.”

Lawson started in Grenoble, France, where she stayed in a tiny dorm in the same building as the 12 other program members from all around the globe.

She says she learned things that go well beyond the classroom.

“I went to all my classes, and yeah, I learned a lot, but I learned a lot more about myself and how to get by in a different culture,” Lawson says.

“That was more important to me than passing all my classes. I think it taught me a lot about myself and how much I can do. I learned how to be independent and plan for myself.”

After her six-week program was over, Lawson took the opportunity to travel for three weeks.

“My parents did not want me to travel alone, so they used their frequent flyer miles to buy my best friend a ticket,” Lawson says.

The two friends traveled to cities in Italy, the Netherlands and other places in Europe including: Florence, Rome, Venice, Munich, Prague, Amsterdam and London.

Lawson says some of her favorite experiences were in Italy.

“We stood in the Colosseum and tried to remember all the history that’s happened there,” Lawson says.

“The only word I can think of to describe the experience is awe.”

Lawson says when comparing her travels around Europe with her time in France, France stands out.

“I was there a lot longer and got to experience it firsthand,” she says. “I was immersed into the culture more and was not just there for a couple of days. It was one of the most memorable times of my college experience.”

This was the first photo contest for the Study Abroad office, but Haugen hopes to make it an annual event.

“We wanted to promote studying abroad, and because we have so many programs that go on all over the world, we wanted Iowa State students to be able to show off what they saw,” Haugen says. “We wanted to do something a little different and have a little fun.”