IES Abroad is thrilled to announce the 2012-13 Blogger of the Year, Kiah Zellner-Smith!
Kiah is currently a senior at Macalester College double majoring in American Racial Studies and Educational Studies and minoring in Psychology. She was among the first students to study on our inaugural Study Brazil Program in Rio de Janeiro in Spring 2013.
Kiah was selected as a video blogger, one of approximately 75 talented writers, photographers, and videographers who contribute to the IES Abroad blog network each year. Bloggers are tasked with completing a predeparture post, two to three posts per month while abroad, and one post after returning home.
Kiah surpassed our expectations with her beautifully filmed, dynamic videos that offer prospective students an inside look at her academic experiences, housing, field trips, and more. In addition, she posted photographs and compelling written accounts of her time in Rio. It was clear that Kiah fully embraced Brazilian culture and made the most of her experience abroad, describing it in her final post as “something that pushed me to my limits, brought me to my knees, made me question everything I thought to be true about myself—but also reminded me that I was alive and living, strong, spirited and more adaptable than I had thought.” View all 12 of her posts here.
As Blogger of the Year, Kiah will receive a prize and will be attending the IES Abroad Annual Conference. She and Rio Center Director, Dr. Octavio di Leo, will be co-presenting a session titled, “A Day in the Life of a Rio de Janeiro Student.”
Congratulations, Kiah!
