Read about the previous winners of the Inspiration through Exploration Literary Award
2022 – Drew McDougall
US/Mexico Border + The Bahamas Above all, my parents have always stressed experiences over anything else. These are thethings that create stories, and those stories create memories. I believe many others have talkedon this matterIn the summer of 2022, this idea, or philosophy of trying to gain all the experiences you canset me on the…
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2019 – Emma Stange
Africa I have been accepted into the Namibian Dolphin Project internship in Walvis Bay, Namibia in Africa. Immediately after the tropical biology and conservation course in Borneo, I will be flying to Namibia for the entire month of June. I will be stopping in Singapore and Johannesburg along the way, as there is no direct…
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2017 – Victoria Sunseri
Sri Lanka From Victoria’s essay:”During my hike to the Buddhist monastery, I was transformed. I was alone, engulfed in early morning fog, and surrounded by sprawling tea fields. Yet, I was unafraid. This hike could not have taken more than 40 minutes but I will never forget the way it made me feel. As I…
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2016 – Faith Taylor
Jamaica When Faith Taylor ’19 decided to research coral in the Bahamas, the first thing she had to do was learn how to breathe underwater. “I had never snorkeled before, so I had to learn how not to drown,” laughed Taylor, of Columbia, MD. The marine science–biology major, who was the 2016 recipient of the Timothy…
Keep reading2015 – Griffin Guinta
Dublin, Ireland An excerpt from Griffin’s blog he wrote daily while in Ireland.”Before I begin, I have to start by saying that Ireland is amazing. The people are incredibly friendly, the food is spectacularly bland, and the scenery is unbeatable. Life is perfect here, it would seem. For some, though, Ireland isn’t seen through rose-colored glasses.…
Keep reading2014 – Eden Frazer
Great Britain Eden Frazier ’16 has trained in classical ballet for 14 years, but this summer she chose to study dance from a different angle. Frazier spent three weeks with Gloucestershire Dance, or GDance, a mixed-ability dance company based in Gloucester, England. GDance promotes inclusive practice and strategic collaboration with national and local art and…
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2013 – Katelyn Edwards
Ghana In Ghana, Katelyn Edwards first noticed the pothole, polka dot roads with street vendors walking precariously through the lines of traffic. Once she got outside the urban buzz of Kumasi, the warmth of hospitality took over. Edwards, an English major with art and economics minors, was in Ghana this July as a volunteer with…
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2012 – Sommer Kuhn
Turkey When Sommer Kuhn ’13 was a child, she traveled from Wisconsin with her family to Orlando’s Sea World. At the first sight of the dolphins, she was hooked. “I fell in love with them,” said Kuhn, a marine biology major with a minor in psychology, who has since immersed herself in learning about the…
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2011 – Kaushal Vaddiraj
Sri Lanka Excerpt from Kaushal’s blogThe last two weeks passed really quickly and I am really going to miss MEF a lot( not the dung cleaning part though). I headed east last night on a train from Polgahawela to Trincomalee. Trincomalee is the largest port in the country and has two natural harbors. The city…
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2010 – Serena Edinger
Costa Rica Serena Edinger ’11 has a life philosophy of “daring adventure or nothing.” So when she was awarded the Timothy M. Smith Inspiration Through Exploration Award, she decided to head south to Costa Rica, work on her Spanish and travel the country. She has seen an amazing countryside, photographed the rainforest clouds, snorkeled with fluorescent…
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2009 – Erin Dumas
Greece & Turkey For University of Tampa sophomore Erin Dumas, globetrotting is a way of life. In just the last few years, the international and cultural studies major has spent time in France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. As this year’s recipient of the UT Honors Program’s Timothy M. Smith Inspiration Through Exploration…
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2008 – Lorian Schweikert (Knapp)
Australia Over the course of 11 days next summer, University of Tampa sophomore Lorian Knapp will work aboard a boat in Hervey Bay, Australia, gathering information with a team of researchers from the Pacific Whale Foundation. Using highly sophisticated marine science equipment, the team will spend eight hours per day locating and collecting data on the Australian…
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2007 – Amber Osbourne
Europe Amber Osborne has been named by the faculty Honors Committee as the 2007 recipient of the Timothy M. Smith Inspiration Through Exploration Award.The committee received four outstanding applications for this award, established by the family and friends of Timothy M. Smith. A lawyer by trade, Smith loved to travel and write about his many experiences.…
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2006 – Adrienne Nadeau
Israel Adrienne M. Nadeau, a junior writing major from Clearwater, has been awarded the Timothy M. Smith Inspiration Through Exploration Award by the UT Honors Committee. The award is presented annually to an Honors Program student near the end of the fall semester. It provides a talented student author with an opportunity to travel and…
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2004 – Elizabeth Lew
Japan From Elizabeth Lew: I would like to thank you and your family and Inspiration through Exploration for this wonderful opportunity. Thank you, as well, for your enormous patience with me and with Tulane. This trip was very important to me, especially as I took it directly after hurricane Katrina and during a really difficult period…
Keep readingIn memory of Timothy Martin Smith July 21, 1971 – April 18, 2003
Inspiration through Exploration 