Kaplan and National Geographic Learning launch student anthology

The Your Path, Your Way collection features original writing and photography from winners of a jointly run competition.

“[The competition] gives students an opportunity to boost their transferable and employability skills”

International students wrote on themes of becoming independent, new friendships, missing family, mental health and impressions of the UK, and used four National Geographic photographs to prompt their work.

Other students submitted photography that represented various aspects of their lives in the UK.

Works by winners from 21 countries were chosen to be included in the anthology, and were also given the opportunity to attend an exclusive workshop with National Geographic photographer, Gabby Salazar.

“This competition to showcase the creative talents of our international students grew out of discussions with NGL about effective ways to enhance the learning experience for our international students and give them an opportunity to boost their transferable and employability skills,” Margaret Bryndal, head of Learning Measurement and Evaluation at Kaplan International Pathways said.

National Geographic Learning EMEA regional marketing manager Lucy Constable added that organisation was proud to work with key partners “to enrich not just their students’ work in learning English but also extra-curricular activities to go beyond the language and enable students to communicate their ideas with clarity and creativity”.

“The ability to utilise stunning photography from National Geographic and explorers like Gabby, gives students a unique experience, and one that gives them something to aspire to,” Constable added.

King Tun So (Edwin) from Australia was a photo competition winner, explaining, “I love chasing my passion: creating visually stunning images”.

“I have never been able to express my feelings with words until I started to write poetry,” poetry winner from Kuwait Jasem Dashti said.

Other student winners were from Bolivia, Brazil, China, Georgia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mauritius, Nigeria, Oman, Russia, Singapore, Thailand, UAE, Uganda, the United Kingdom, and Zimbabwe.