During spring break, students take a break from their academic responsibilities often to rest at home or travel to new places. John Brown University took this opportunity to create a fun and interactive contest called “Chip on a trip.” The contest encouraged University students, faculty and staff to document their spring break adventures with selfies featuring Chip, nickname of Dr. Charles Pollard, President of the University since 2004. In this contest, participants had the chance to win a $75 Visa gift card in three different categories – Chip’s Pick, Furthest Distance and Fan Favorite.
Lila Lemus, a sophomore at JBU, participated in the “Furthest Distance” category. When asked about her experience, she mentioned that her friends and she went to Stockholm, Sweden and Milan, Italy. Her favorite part of the trip was visiting the Nobel Prize Museum in Sweden and seeing the typewriter of Gabriel García Márquez, a famous Colombian author.
Lemus also shared a fun story about her trip to Milan. Her friends bought t-shirts from the local soccer team, and every person they passed on the street yelled, “FORZA MILANO,” or “Go Milan!” Lemus and her friends felt the warmth and friendliness of the Italian people in a funny and unexpected way.
Participating in the “Chip on a trip” contest was a great experience for Lemus. Even though she did not win, Lemus enjoyed seeing all the pictures that other students posted and how creative they got with their selfies.
In total, there were ten finalists for the contest. Lemus and the other participants made the most of their spring break by exploring new places and creating memories. The contest was a great way to showcase the adventures of the University’s community, and the winners were announced during the week of April 3.
Senior Luis Galván also participated in the “Farthest Distance” category. He traveled to Italy and visited Rome, Florence, Milan, and Pisa. His favorite place was the Sistine Chapel, where he saw Michelangelo’s painting of the Creation of Man.
During his trip, Galván took Chip along with him and captured some fun and memorable pictures. He shared that when he took Chip out to take a picture at the Colosseum, everyone was watching, and he was able to get several smiles with Chip’s face.
Galván also mentioned that he enjoyed participating in the “Chip on a trip” contest because he got “to see cool photos of other people’s spring breaks.” Galván shared that he was really happy to win the prize in the category of Farthest Distance. He expressed that “the contest was a great way for the JBU community to come together and share their experiences.”
Senior Casey Burns won the Fan Favorite and Chip’s Pick was awarded to sophomore Lukas Gabani. According to many students, the “Chip on a trip” contest was a fun way for JBU students, faculty and staff to document their spring break adventures.