Blake Shiqiao Zhu, a second-year graduate student who will be graduating in May, has earned recognition in the final weeks of his Lehigh career. The mechanical engineering Master’s student won the award for Best Overall Photo in the Graduate Student Senate Photo Contest for his photo “The Castle in the Snow.”
“(Zhu) is always open to trying new things,” said Amy McCrae, the coordinator for graduate life. “He takes full advantage of whatever is being offered. I saw his pictures and they look like they were taken by a professional photographer.”
Winning the award allowed Zhu to feel he was getting recognized. He said he felt more encouraged to continue creating and showing others his photos.
The photo contest opened for submissions in early February, and winners were announced in late March. The competition has been held annually since 2011 and is only open to graduate students.
Nick Ungson, a third-year doctoral student and travel grant manager for Graduate Student Senate, said this competition was created with the intention of giving graduate students an outlet to express what Lehigh means to them.
“Undergraduate students are able to do this all the time,” Ungson said. “Graduate students needed an outlet to express how they see Lehigh.”
Graduate Student Senate, which consists of seven members, provides a forum for discussion and representation for graduate students. They received around 30 submissions for this contest and votes were cast to decide a winner. Zhu received the grand prize of $100, the winners and runner-ups of each category received an award of $50 and $25 dollars, respectively.
“I love that (Zhu’s) picture captures Lehigh,” Ungson said. “It feels like winter with not a lot of people outside. It feels empty. The picture captures the warmth around the building — not cold and lonely, but a warm feeling.”
Zhu said when he first started studying at Lehigh, he received a lot of encouragement to start taking photos. He became a member of the Chinese Student Scholars Association and quickly moved up the ranks to the positions of vice president and head of photography.
“I get to be a photographer,” Zhu said. “At Lehigh the scenery is very great. I learned for a year … then I became a photographer for CSSA and took pictures for CSSA’s official website.”
He said as he learned more about the craft, he became more of a professional at taking photos. He now has many works on the CSSA’s website.
Zhu takes photos between and after classes. He also researches photography in his spare time.
“Mechanical engineering is very tough,” Zhu said. “Taking photos is a way to relax.”
Throughout his two years at Lehigh, Zhu has seen a change and growth in his photography skills. He said he has learned how to take photos and incorporate more color and original scenery.
His peers have acknowledged Zhu’s skills in photography and his energy.
“His photos are beautiful,” said Fengxiang Nie, a first-year graduate student. “It makes us realize what a beautiful university Lehigh is.”
He said his photos could have the power to encourage people to visit to Lehigh.
“The photos feel really colorful,” said Jiayun Gao, another first-year graduate student. “They use a lot of bright colors. I see the pictures, I feel like I am in an imaginary world. I never pay attention to the surroundings on campus. Seeing his picture reminds me of beauty on campus.”
In the future, Zhu said he wants to be both a professional photographer and a full-time mechanical engineer.
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