Women Exploring the World:

This picture is of a woman who has just bought freshly sliced cheese from the store down the street. This woman is my grandmother, who lives half the year in her hometown of Italy and half the year in Connecticut where she immigrated to in her late twenties. She knows two separate cultures and worlds, and is a perfect example of a woman living globally.

Georgie Williamson pets one of the injured sister lions protected by The African Lion & Environmental Research Trust while on spring break.

This picture was also taken in Rajasthan. ASHA's are female village health workers in India employed by the government to specifically work with maternal and neo-natal child healthcare. The ASHA is a member of the community selected by the community, and often gives the woman selected a sense of empowerment and self worth in a culture where women are not usually highly respected. This ASHA is pictured examining a 7-day old baby in a village outside of Udaipur, Rajasthan.

As this woman is balancing a basket of cocoa pods on her head, most women in the world find themselves balancing as well -- their work, education, family, and other commitments -- in order fulfill the roles that society has placed upon them. And, just as this woman, most women go about balancing everything with a smile on their faces.

The castellers (human castle builders) are people from the province of Catalonia, Spain who participate in one of the most unique traditions of the area.  Women, and even young girls, have the difficult task of completing the more vulnerable, upper levels of the tower.  Without these fearless women, the people of Catalonia would not be able to share this unique tradition with the rest of the world.

This depicts the beauty of women globally by showing that these sisters have nothing, yet are full of happiness. It shows that the simple things in life are the most important, such as the primary role of the older siblings to care for their younger siblings.

This photo is from Settefrati, Italy. Even though it is a tiny town, it has a lot of rich cultural tradition. In August every year the town (and many visitors) come together in the town square, where women of all ages from adolescence up wear traditional Italian clothes and serve everyone who gathers "sagne e fagiole"- pasta with beans. These women are dressing up in traditional styles regardless of their modernity to celebrate the changing times.

This is a photo of me during "La Feria" in Seville, Spain dancing traditional Flamenco.  This photo exhibits how women play a significant role in Spain's most important dance, Flamenco and how it is possible for anybody of any race or gender to learn how to participate in cultural traditions around the world.

Women take on many different roles in the world.  Women are loving and caring.  This picture captures the passion and emotion of women as well as the free spirit they possess.  I had just fed the kangaroos.  The large mother kangaroo looking at me has a joey in her pouch.  She let me pet her. Women are not afraid to get a little dirty and put in some hard work.  I feel like a dirt-covered Snow White in this photo.

This photograph has been taken to show a completely natural world through a lens. As a woman, traveling and experiencing has taught me more about the world than any lecture will. I want to shed light on the hidden world of nature through photography.

No matter where we are in the world, there is always so much love to give. The embroidered silk balls ("Xiuqiu" in Chinese) are a symbol of the Zhuang ethnic minority of Guangxi province in China. Made with colorful cloth or silk, these balls are embroidered with patterns of flowers and birds. The twelve petals on the balls represent the twelve months of the year and symbolize happiness and completeness all year round. They were made originally for entertainment or sports activities, but later became a token of love. The woman seems to be embracing the traditions of these embroidered balls, a signature object in China.

Here, a mother and her young son sit in a MacDonald’s restaurant in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. The boy enjoys his ice cream; the woman enjoys her child.

Cultural immersion is the best means to learn about, from, and of a culture unlike one’s own. Here, I pose amidst a group of primary school children while on a service trip in Antigua. Growth as a global community is propelled by individuals who collectively seek a greater awareness and sense of cultural understanding. As a woman with the opportunity to have seen this part of the world, I refuse to see just black and white, I want to see the world with a broadened perspective.

This woman exhibits the indispensible role that she has attained. Her experience with steering this mekoro boat is highly valued and she uses her skill to contribute to her family and her community. She is supporting those she loves most, just like women across the world.

Izzy Breit (’12) sits in a mokoro, a wooden boat carved out of a single tree trunk, entering the Okavango Delta. The lily pond in her hair was a present from one of the eldest tribal women who hosted us during our time in the Delta.

This photo is of myself jumping off the ground and reaching new heights. Studying abroad gave me the freedom to explore, attempt new things, and reach my potential. Just like at Lehigh, incorporating women into the college gave females the opportunity to explore, learn, and achieve. The John Lennon Wall is a place to write inspirational messages, small notes, or your dreams, and many women participate in this free spirited place where I took pride in being a women and reaching to the sky in this photo.

This photo is the "Love Locks" in Prague. Any type of lover can come and "lock their love" for life onto these metal bars filled with hundreds of locks and then throw their key into the canal below signifying that forever their love with live on. Love is such a strong emotion, and women all over the world are able to secure their love with their significant other, friend, spouse, or any person they feel love for. Hopefully women all over the world feel love for someone or something, and the Love Locks is a beautiful place to share this strong emotion with the world.

The prevalence of art in Florence Italy provides an environment for independent artists to explore their talents. In every museum and in every piazza there is bound to be an artist at work. Photographed here, a young woman sketches a statue of a man on horseback in Piazza Independencia in Florence, Italy.

Izzy Breit (’12), Ilana Orlansky (’12), Taylor Orr (’12) and Georgie Williamson (’12) horseback ride on Noordhoek Beach. It was truly one of the most memorable experiences of our time abroad.

This silhouette of mokoros in the Okavango Delta captures the essence of nature the Lehigh study abroad students felt during their spring break through Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The elderly women who hosted them in the Delta contribute to their tribe until the day they die. The respect for them amongst the tribe is absolutely indescribable.

Georgie Williamson ('12) plays with the children of the Touws River Children’s Crèche’ in South Africa. The group of study abroad students on the Interstudy program completely repainted the community center, classrooms and nursery for the less privileged township.

Wakako Hironaka (広中 和歌子, Hironaka Wakako, born 11 May 1934, Tokyo) is a Japanese writer and politician. She has been a member of the House of Councillors(Upper House of the Japanese Diet) since 1986, and currently serving her fourth term. Between 1993-1994, she was State Minister, Director-General of the Environment Agency in the Hosokawa Cabinet. In the past years, she served several times as Vice President of the Democratic Party of Japan.

Near Piazza Repubblica, the center of Florence, artists gather and paint the street to mimic famous paintings. The accuracy of these efforts are impeccable, attracting crowds of tourists to congregate around the artists and watch them "perform" within their own medium. Art is an avenue for many young females in Italian culture - certain high schools .

In Peru I was exposed to the most primitive forms of living that I have ever seen. These little girls were on their way to school, which was about a five-mile walk for them. It shows how these girls were doing their best to survive in their surroundings and become successful women for the next generation.

This photo represents the role of women and traditional gender roles in the Jewish religion. In Orthodox Judaism, men and women pray separately, and at the Western wall there is a women’s side for prayer and a men’s side. Being surrounded by women from all across the globe with very different backgrounds, and sharing a special moment together at the Kotel, creates a feeling of intense unity, transcending differences.