Hiya Margo

Fate has a funny way of getting you into the weirdest scenarios.

It all started two years ago when I was in my sophomore year at the University of West Florida (UWF). As a Global Marketing major, part of the requirement to graduate was to spend a semester abroad. However, there were complications that meant I wouldn’t be able to make the trip. I ended up changing my major to Comprehensive Marketing, which covered more general marketing topics and did not have that requirement.

I was still determined to study abroad, which is when I learned about the UWF College of Business partnership with the Transatlantik-Institut in Ludwigshafen, Germany. This trip would span two weeks and would cover one of my required classes, International Business, over the summer.

I was lucky enough to be chosen as one of the students to represent our group for funding purposes. We successfully argued our case and won enough scholarship funds that, when combined with my own full-ride scholarship, enabled me to go on the trip without taking on debt.

Our trip saw us travel through Southwestern Germany with small trips into France and Switzerland. We visited several locations of historical significance from the Schwetzingen Palace Gardens to Notre Dame de Strasbourg and the riverbed of Lucerne. We also toured several businesses to learn more about their operations including Weldebräu brewing company, TSG Hoffenheim, and even the EU Parliament.

At the time, I was a member of the UWF Street Team and was tasked with sending my best shots back home for them to use across UWF’s official social media channels. It didn’t take long for the members of our group to notice and soon enough I was taking nearly all of the photos over the course of the trip. I became our class’s unofficial photographer.

Cut to this summer where I was invited to the Lewis Bear Jr. College of Business Networking Social at the Museum of Commerce in downtown Pensacola. There, I reconnected with some of my old professors and met the newest graduates from the German MBA program. They had just finished their second two-week stint in the States and were about to do some personal traveling before returning home.

The next day, I received a phone call from one of my old advisors; turns out, their photographer dropped out last-minute and they needed a replacement. She remembered how I became the trip photographer when we traveled abroad together two years previous and thought I would be perfect for the job. I agreed to come help and, with my trusty camera, got some pretty good pictures of the event. Here are a few of my favorite shots.

It was strange getting to walk the halls of my Alma Mater again, this time as a volunteer. The last time I was here, I was giving the last presentation of my undergraduate career. After finishing my job as photographer, I walked by the old American Marketing Association (AMA) office where I once was President. It made me smile to still see the banners and flags I made wrapped up to use the next school year.

What didn’t feel so strange was working with my previous professors once again. It felt like no time had passed and that we had just gotten back from our own trip to Germany. We caught up over dinner, where I was presented with a certificate for agreeing to be their photographer on such short notice.

So, what is this all for? Just a trip down memory lane? Sure, that’s one way to look at it. But one thing UWF taught me is that there is always something to learn from the things around you. What this experience taught me was to value your connections, let your work speak for itself, and always take the shot.

… Unless you have limited film. Luckily, my camera is digital.