congratulations to chyna vargas of the johns hopkins university for winning planet forward’s photo of the month for november! 

chyna’s photo depicts washington, d.c.’s rock creek surrounded by changing fall foliage. the photo was selected by planet forward staff and interns for capturing a true sense of a newly discovered “home.”

this photo was taken at rock creek regional park after a long day at work. a friend suggested this park for a walk to see the start of the fall foliage in the area. i’ve been in this area for a little over a year now, but have not been able to really embrace the nature around me. this is just outside my home, and it’s been there this whole time. while i’ve been working away on my laptop, letting the fluorescent glow from the screen hit my face, this breath of fresh air and scenery grounded me here at this place. the clouds were moving with the sun, and the trees were bustling with one another, excited for the start of fall and winter. it was a reminder to slow down and literally be like the nature in this photo—calm and poised. -chyna vargas

see the full un-cropped photo below!