York University students captured and submitted more than 700 images of their experiential education for the chance to win up to $5,000 in prizes for the #MyExperienceYU photo contest.
The contest highlighted how York connects students to their learning through experiential education, and gave students the opportunity to showcase their individual journeys through their unique lens.
The top three winners have now been announced, and were selected by community vote from the top 10 finalists between Nov. 14 and 19.
In total, there were 11,843 votes cast in the contest, and the prizes are as follows:
• first place will receive $3,000
• second place will receive $1,500
• third place will receive $500
The winners are: first place – Gurpreet Singh; second place – Mathurayine Kandasamy; and third place – Chelsea Gomes.
Each of the winners shared some of their thoughts on experiential education at York, and their resulting photo entries.
Gurpreet Singh
Singh took his photo on the balcony of the LARSS (Laboratory for Atmospheric Remote Sounding from Space) research lab on the fourth floor of the Petrie Science and Engineering building here at York University. Learning through experience, he said, is a very effective way to learn.
“Reading theories and doing experiments on paper is fun, but nothing compares to the experience of seeing an experiment come to life,” said Singh. “It has made me more observant and has equipped me with a better imagination to feel what is being taught in the classroom, and how it would come about in the real world.”
Mathurayine Kandasamy
Kandasamy took her photo while on exchange in New Zealand. The image was caputured after rushing down a long, steep and winding path to Cathedral Caves. The caves, she said, are metaphor to how she feels about her experiential learning opportunity.
“Personal growth is the biggest result of experiential learning,” she said. “Much more than what’s taught in the classroom, experiential learning really pushes you out of your comfort zone for a whole new level of learning.”
Chelsea Gomes
Gomes took her photo while on exchange in Mexico during a week-long event called “salvando el planeta” (save the planet), where she was with a group of volunteers who organized donations in order to distribute food to families affected by earthquakes.
“Experiential learning has greatly influenced and changed my understanding of what I am studying in my education courses at York,” she said.
About the contest
The #MyExperienceYU contest focused on sharing students’ perspectives of experiential education in the community, in the workplace and in the classroom. Students were asked to upload their photos to Instagram or Twitter using the #MyExperienceYU hashtag.
More information on experiential education at York University can be found on the #ExperienceYU website.