Tacoma's Xavier Al-Mateen Wins Grand Prize in Photo Contest

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Xavier Al-Mateen's “Couscous” was named Grand Prize winner in the recent Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM) Off-Campus Study Photo Contest.

APPLETON, WIS. (01/08/2013)(readMedia)-- Xavier Al-Mateen, son of Dr. Majeed Al-Mateen and Dr. Lillian Koblenz, Tacoma, won Grand Prize honors in the recent Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM) Off-Campus Study Photo Contest. A senior at Lawrence University majoring in biology, Al-Mateen is a 2009 graduate of Charles Wright Academy, Tacoma.

Al-Mateen's winning photo, "Couscous," was selected from among 95 submissions in four catregories by students participating in off-campus study programs. Shot May 31, 2012, the photo caputured women sifting couscous into bowls at La Maison des Femmes, a female cooperative outside Thiès, Senegal. He received a grand prize of $200.

"As the only male on this excursion, I was appointed the photographer while the others in my group learned how to make couscous and clothing," said Al-Matten. "What struck me about the scene was the lighting, which brings out the vibrant colors of the couscous and the patterns on the center woman's clothing.

The ACM photo contest began in 2008. All winning photos will be featured in a traveling exhibit hosted by ACM colleges, beginning March 16 at Beloit College and ending April 13 with the ACM Student Symposium on Off-Campus Study in Chicago.

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