Face to Face 9:45 – 11:00 AM CT: Poster Session
Title of presentation: Unlikely Friends
Presenter: Libby Douglas
Advisor: Dr. Milinda Jay Stephenson
Abstract:
My name is Libby Douglas. I am a student here at FSU PC, who also happens to be an artist. Since I started attending FSU PC, I have had the privilege of taking classes in Creative Writing, where students like me are encouraged to use our imaginations to write compelling stories of any genre. I am here at the Student Symposium to present a colored-pencil drawing that I made of my main character and his sidekick from the story that I am writing in class. My story, which I will likely title Six Feet Under, follows a seventeen year old boy by the name of Roland who attempts to save his peers from the darkness of the underground world. Roland, who is pictured in the bottom corner of my drawing, is a timid, yet curious boy who was kidnapped and hidden in and underground camp alongside several other boys of various ages. Together, all of the boys are forced to work for their kidnapper, a madman by the name of Alastor Brantley, who wants to get revenge on society for convicting him of murdering his own family. Life underground is dangerous, and working for a cruel and selfish man isn’t easy either. Each of the boys, whether young or old, labor for long hours working on building dangerous machinery and weapons. Some even work with chemicals in order to learn how to control and manipulate time itself. For well over a decade, Roland and his colleagues have lived in the cold darkness of the underground world, where there’s little access to food or water and no comfortable place for any of the boys to sleep. Just a few years earlier, Roland’s beloved caretaker and only friend vanished without a trace, so when Roland hears rumors of more disappearances of other campground boys, and the breakout of a very deadly disease called the Black Mold, he finds himself taking a leap of faith and breaking the rules by trespassing on restricted territory in hopes of getting any sort of lead on the disappearances. Pictured in the top corner of the drawing is Roland’s newfound friend Russell, a nineteen year old young man who previously worked as one of Alastor Brantley’s personal executioners and is now the only prisoner of the camp. The unlikely duo meet each other after Roland gets caught trespassing and ends up becoming Russell’s cellmate. As the B-story character in this case, Russell’s job is to push Roland out of his comfort zone to help Roland become a better version of himself. Together, the two boys discover the above-ground world, uncover new secrets, and work together to rescue their peers before it’s too late. The genres of this story will most likely be science fiction with a twist of fantasy due to a discovered system of magic, and possibly even thriller.
Title of presentation: The Growth of Housing Insecurity in College and its Effects on Students
Presenter: Mikayla Robinson
Advisor: Dr. Milinda Jay Stephenson
Abstract:
This presentation discusses the pressing issue of college homelessness among students, focusing on the challenges faced by those attending Florida State University (FSU). Furthermore, it discusses the correlation between the growth of housing insecurity and the lack of aid. It also discusses the broader implications of housing insecurity on academic performance and its negative impact on social relationships.