Winners Announced to 'Everything' Experience Contest

Explorica congratulates 8 exceptional students for their award-winning entries to our 'Everything' Experience Contest.

The inspiring and life-changing moments submitted exemplify what Explorica tours are all about.

Grand Prize Winner: Chris Roman
Tour: Germany, Switzerland and Austria
'Everything' Experience Excerpt: As the fourth day into the tour wound down, several of the kids in my group wound up in a park outside of our quaint motel near Salzburg, Austria. In the midst of our ultimate-frisbee playing, we met Otto- a Turkish student studying in Austria... There was more to Europe, Otto helped me realize, than just the pretty buildings or cosmopolitan tour guides or countless museums or innumerable churches... The conversation we held in German made our tour that much more immersive, genuine, and memorable.

Second Prize Winner: Briana Brukilacchio
Tour: Central European Countries
'Everything' Experience Excerpt: I go to an opera singer for voice lessons. At the time I left for my European adventure we were just finishing Caro Mio Ben. On the King Charles Bridge there was an eclectic assortment of artists, vendors, musicians, and tourists. One of the few that we stopped at was an older man who was blind, playing the most beautiful song on an accordion. The music drew me in until I realized with a euphoric punch of purposefulness that he was playing Caro Mio Ben, and I was going to sing it... I quietly sang what I could remember and a few people stopped and smiled. When I decided a few lines were enough, the man patted me on the back and nodded his head in a way that meant thank you. I walked the remainder of the bridge like a balloon that was tempted to fly away, with my friends’ hands in my hands, tethering me to the old Czech streets.

Second Prize Winner: Cole Brubaker
Tour: Peru
'Everything' Experience Excerpt: I realized that life is not always about where you go and the amazing places you see, but rather the importance of fellowship and friendship that you can find in others along the way... The moment when I fully realized that life isn’t all about the natural wonders you witness, but rather the people who share your journey, was during our Pachamama ceremony in Machu Picchu. Pachamama is similar to Earth Day in the United States, where Peruvians give thanks to Mother Nature for all that she has done throughout the year. Our tour guide Jamie performed a full ceremony, reading us the history of the Pachamama and immersing us in the spirit of Mother Nature herself; all while sitting on the outer wall of Machu Picchu. Looking around at the natural beauty of the Peruvian country side I was left to wonder why I was so fortunate to be here, and with such great people to share my journey. I came to fully appreciate that, if it wasn’t for the people who shared the journey, the trip, while still amazing, would not have had such an impact.

Honorable Mention Winner: Stephanie Perez
Tour: London, Paris & Italy
'Everything' Experience Excerpt: My trip was amazing but the moment that I will always remember was the night we got off the metro and walked towards the Eiffel Tower. I was about 100 feet away and I started crying because i realized my parents struggle to get me to where i was at... The trip made me realize how much I had to thank my parents as soon as I came back. I plan to show them my gratitude by sending off my sisters on a similar tour as soon as they're old enough! Thanks Explorica for this opportunity and for our amazing Tour Director Franco.

Honorable Mention Winner: Jake Liles
Tour: Paris: City of Light
'Everything' Experience Excerpt: During the tour we did what I was hoping we wouldn’t do: go to the top of the Eiffel Tower! I have an extreme fear of heights and it was overwhelming for me to reach the top of the 1000 foot tower. However, once I reached the observation deck on the top floor I experienced a significant revelation that has continued to shape my life today. I saw the “City of Light” from its highest point. I felt as though I could conquer the world because it felt as though I truly had it in the palm of hands. I saw my life as having a million opportunities like the millions of buildings I could see below.

Honorable Mention Winner: Richard Greletski
Tour: Italian Highlights
'Everything' Experience Excerpt: My first taste of food in Italy was real brick oven pizza in the streets of Venice! Standing next to a canal, I knew my taste buds had found heaven. It only got better from there. Pasta in Florence sent me into ecstasy. Sitting in Sienna, savory chicken with herbs was another gastronomic highlight. I had never been adventurous with food at home in the States before my school trip to Europe. Now I ask my mom to try new recipes, and have even taken my turn in the family kitchen. The one thing I have not been able to replicate here at home is the taste of real homemade gelato! My teacher made sure my mind was intellectually prepared for new cultures, but nothing prepared me for the wonderful surprise of new foods in their native countries!

Honorable Mention Winner: Joanna Kim
Tour: Peru
'Everything' Experience Excerpt: Wanting to avoid an awkward silence all the way down to the bus station at the foot of the mountain, I tentatively manage to address the native Spanish-speaker next to me (not without a certain amount of trepidation) with an “Hola.”... Tripping over words and suddenly blanking out on verb tenses in my anxiety, I try to steady myself, like a toddler new to walking, as I talk to a stranger in his native Spanish for the first time. I gradually realize that I am, in fact, conversing with someone in a language that he has complete mastery of, one that was absolutely foreign to me, and I relax into our conversation with growing comfort... I now know the power of language and its ability to connect two strangers: an old Peruvian tour guide and a teenage Asian-American in a neon-green t-shirt, sitting together on a bus down from Machu Picchu.

Honorable Mention Winner: Elizabeth Fever
Tour: London, Paris & Italy
'Everything' Experience Excerpt: While in Florence, Italy we visited the Uffizi Gallery, where I was able to see Botticelli's “Birth of Venus” in person. I began to tear up while looking at one of the most famous paintings of all time. Though we weren’t able to take pictures in the gallery, I will always remember the way that the room was set up and exactly what the painting looked like in real life. Being exposed to this amazing work of art and all of the other art found in Europe really changed my perspective on art history and contemporary art. Now I am enrolled in Tyler School of Art as a fine arts major, and plan on returning to Rome to study abroad for two semesters in my upcoming years.