Cassidy Grom Journalist. Designer. Leader.

Cassidy Grom Journalist. Designer. Leader.

Contents 2. Resume 4. Bylines 6. Recommendations 12. Reporting Clips 24. Design Examples 30. Business Plan 36. Photo & Video

Photo by Rowan Heuvel on Unsplash

Resume

CASSIDY GROM Cassidy.grom@gmail.com | 502-287-3646 | @CassidyGrom

Experience Sept. 2017– Dec. 2017

May 2017–Aug. 2017

Digital Intern

New York Daily News — New York, NY, -Reported on Las Vegas shooting victims for print edition, circulation: 200,000 -Wrote feature about NYC Mormon dating scene -Wrote over 50 articles, often about crime -Regularly found and synthesized public documents

HSPA Eugene S. Pulliam intern

Chronicle-Tribune (Marion, IN) & Huntington Herald-Press (Huntington, IN) -Wrote about 60 articles covering education, agricultural, business and government beats -Met daily and hourly deadlines -Designed front page infographics, organized and executed fall fashion shoot

May 2016–May 2017

Co-editor-in-chief

May 2016–Aug. 2016

Design & content intern

Aug. 2015–May 2016

News co-editor

Dec. 2015–Present

Freelance designer

Jan. 2015–May 2015

Marketing writer

Occasionally

Volunteer ESL Tutor

The Taylor University Echo -Lead weekly editorial meetings and training camp -Taught over 30 staff members basic ethics, writing, design and editing -Edited and revised every article and graphic Ambassador Enterprises (private equity firm) -Used Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator daily -Researched andragogy & prepared three hour curriculum to train MBA facilitators The Taylor University Echo - Wrote weekly front page article, worked closely with photographers and layout team -Investigated and uncovered email scandal - For examples, see www.behance.net/Cassidy_Gr4c73

Taylor University Marketing Louisville, KY, Fuzhou, China and Sandomierz, Poland

Education Aug. 2014 - Present

Taylor University

Aug. 2017 - Dec. 2017

McCandlish Phillips Journalism Institute

Skills & Associations

Upland, Indiana — B.A. in Journalism, Graphic Design Studies, Honors program, GPA: 3.9 Graduation: May 2018 New York, New York — Studies in entrepreneurial journalism - InDesign - Illustrator - Video editing

- AP Style - Photography - PhotoShop

- Hard news reporting - Editing & revising - Project management

- SPJ - Kentucky Governor’s Scholar

Awards May 2014, May 2015

Spinder Scholarship for newsroom leadership Taylor University

2015

Winner - SPJ Region 5 General News Reporting

2017

Best in-depth reporting — Indiana Collegiate Press Assoc.

April 2017

Listed in Politico’s New York Playbook

2

Bylines

New York, New York

Marion, Indiana

Frankfort, Indiana

Huntington, Indiana

Indiana

Marion, Indiana

Taylor University, Upland, Indiana

4

Recommendations

“Cassidy pitched in on coverage for some of the biggest stories of the year – historic, horrific shootings in Las Vegas and Sutherland Springs, the Trump White House, the scandal-plagued candidacy of Roy Moore. She was especially helpful on Mondays, when, due to diminished staffing levels, she had opportunities to report on heavier topics. Cassidy brought a quiet determination into the newsroom each day and carried herself with pride. It’s a place that swallows up lots of people, but Cassidy proved she belonged. During Cassidy’s time at the Daily News, she wrote 52 articles, generating more than 600,000 page views – good for 85th in the newsroom during that time, ahead of some full-time staff writers.”

Dan Good Deputy Head of News New York Daily News

6

Peer recommendations During the 2016-2017 academic year, I was the co-editor-in-chief the Taylor University Echo. I led a team of over 30 reporters, photographers, designers and advertising team members. With only five journalism majors on staff, and no full-time journalism professor to guide us, my co-editor Becca and I took it upon ourselves to train our fellow students, create more efficient systems, publish a weekly newspaper and fight our university’s censorship policies. Here is what the staff thought of my leadership:

Becca

Luke

Jeff Me

Becca Robb former co-editor of The Echo

“That year challenged me so much to strive for journalistic excellence. When I was working on a sensitive race-related article (the Whipple case), Cassidy was my strongest supporter. I knew that, even if the article was a disaster and got me in trouble, it wouldn’t just be me on the chopping block. Cassidy would do nothing less than to stand right next to me when the axe fell. Without her support, I might have dropped the story when it got tough.”

Jeff Grogan former Echo copy chief “Cassidy entrusted me with new tasks and gave me a seat at the table for discussions of the highest importance to the newspaper. Rather than stifling my interests because those areas weren’t directly related to my job . . . Cassidy encouraged me to work outside my job description by contributing to design discussions and giving me a few reporting assignments. Those experiences made me a better editor and a more empathetic member of the newspaper staff.”

Luke Wildman former Echo opinions editor “. . .a contributor neglected to include references to support his claims, then, when asked for them, provided links to several websites that mostly included conspiracy theories and extreme political propaganda. . . Although I enjoy controversy, I’m not very good with direct conflict. Cassidy, however, affirmed me in continuing to press him for more valid sources, and insisted that the article not be published without them. She also always remained calm under pressure, which helped me and the rest of the staff to feel more relaxed about stressful situations.”

8

Reporting Clips

Race relations: Six snapshots of Taylor students’ experiences

October 14, 2016

On campus “I never noticed that I was actually black until I came to school,” senior Leslie Romer said.

Romer grew up in the Bahamas. The first semester of his freshman year at Taylor, his professor, who is black, came in crying. According to Romer, the professor had received an offensive image and a threat of arson and death for her and her husband. That was Romer’s first introduction to American racial relations.

Students link arms and pray: interceding for “walls to come down, hearts to be softened and repentance from the sin of racism,” according to the event invitation. (Photo by Cassidy Grom)

Students link arms and pray: interceding for “walls to come down, hearts to be softened and repentance from the sin of racism,” according to the event invitation. (Photo by Hannah Bolds) According to Romer, since then, he has been forced to confront various stereotypes. He said someone once came up to him on campus and asked him if he knew where to buy drugs: “I said, ‘Why do you feel like I know where someone sells drugs?’ No answer. And I was like, ‘It’s because I’m black, right?’ And then he walked off.”

Romer believes Taylor students have a herd mentality: if you think a different way than the majority, then you are wrong.

When he talks about racial issues, Romer said he feels like people think he is complaining. He becomes frustrated when people don’t believe him and this tension he experiences has caused him to distance himself from the Taylor community.

“I am getting to the point where I really don’t want to deal with people,” Romer said. “If you feel like I am complaining, I really don’t want you around me.”

Senior Sharee Nurse, a black student, defined racism as the majority using their power over minorities. Nurse is the president of the Black Student Union. She said cases of direct racism aren’t as common in her experience but racism still occurs through microaggressions. According to Nurse, microaggressions can occur when professors refer to students of color as “other” and white students as “normal” or “regular” students. While on Taylor’s campus, Nurse was told she was “too white to be black.”

According to Nurse, those microaggressions occur often. Last week, she had a different student talk to her about varying incidents involving some type of racism every day.

“People look at racism and expect it to feel like someone is stabbing you in the gut with a knife,” she said. “But (racism) is like those subtle blows that just keep going and going and after a while it starts to hurt—starts to bruise—to wear you down.”

Junior Ariel Lee, vice president of the Black Student Union, said students typically don’t talk about issues of race in their residence halls. She thinks this is because students in residence halls are focused on fostering a sense of unity or belonging. Yet, Lee, a black student, says talking about differences does not create separation.

Those conversations instead foster awareness and empathy for people of color.

When Lee was a freshman three years ago, she noticed students of color rarely held cabinet positions in organizations across campus.

So, instead of immediately joining BSU, she became involved with Women’s Programming (WoPro). She said being a representative of minority students is important because it challenges organizations to hear diverse voices and opinions.

Others disagree. Sophomore Tom Metzger, a white student, said, “Why should it matter what population of your college is black; why should it matter what percentage of your company is black or white or asian. . . I don’t look at people and see race. But now I’m being told that this colorblind view of the world is, in fact, racist. I don’t understand that. I don’t see how completely eliminating race is racist.”

Off campus

where he was trying to mail some boxes overseas. According to an Oct. 2 Facebook post from Kevin Diller, associate professor of philosophy and religion, a white man in the post office line was frustrated at the wait and started yelling obscenities at the Taylor staff member.

Four weeks ago, Romer attended an accounting job fair in Indianapolis. In his first interview, he felt like the RSM human resource (HR) manager for Indianapolis was racially profiling him. According to Romer, the HR manager nervously tapped her hand, did not make eye contact and asked Romer if he could afford winter jackets. At the end of the interview, Romer said she didn’t want to shake his hand.

Romer was angry and left the job fair early. “I couldn’t focus,” he said. “And because I was angry, I didn’t want to misplace my anger toward anyone else. So I just left. I missed three other job interviews because I couldn’t focus.”

The RSMIndianapolis HR manager did not return The Echo’s phone calls.

Black Lives Matter / Blue Lives Matter signs “Blue Lives Matter . . . These men were murdered because of the hate that Black Lives Matter spreads and the lies they tell.”

On Sept. 28, sophomore Tom Metzger wrote these words on a whiteboard along with a list of eight police officers recently shot.

Metzger said the sign he wrote was in response to another sign outside the Office of Intercultural Programs (OIP) office that encouraged students to remember the names of dead black men.

Metzger said it took him about two hours to research, compile the names of the police officers and write the sign.

According to Metzger, although the police officers were innocent and killed while protecting their communities, their names have faded into obscurity.

Lee saw Metzger’s sign and felt strong emotions: “At first it was shock, then anger and then sadness,” she said. Lee felt Metzger hadn’t considered the emotional impact of the words he wrote on the sign: “We advertise this dream community, but then we see things like that. For us, that breaks what community looks like.”

The discomfort doesn’t stop when Taylor students leave campus. Some students of color said they feel unsafe when they go out into surrounding communities. Lee said she worries more if she is riding in a car with black or latino friends than with a group of white friends. According to Lee, black children get “the talk” about how they are perceived and how to act in public. She also said it doesn’t help that Indiana is a state known for being unkind to people of color.

Lee said the OIP office was a place that she wanted to feel safe.

“Man, it is not home anywhere, unless you are around all the people that look like you. It was sad. It was crazy too­—having to go to class after that and be like, ‘Okay, now I have to focus on work.’”

“I feel really uncomfortable going (off campus) by myself,” Nurse said. “Sometimes you get looks from people that do not shout out, ‘I want to be friends!’”

“(This student) is not the only person on Taylor’s campus who feels that way,” Nurse said. “He is just the first person to be bold enough to say something. Which, in that sense, I am glad he did because it kind of lets us know that clearly this conversation is not over.”

On Oct. 1, a Taylor staff member was in line at the post office

Nurse said the sign made her feel frustrated, especially the parts about Black Lives Matter spreading hate and telling lies. But in a way, the sign was eye-opening for some students.

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Shortly after Metzger wrote the sign, an administrator asked him to take it down. Metzger doesn’t own the white board he wrote on and isn’t a part of a club allowed to publicize on campus. Metzger said he was illuminating the Blue Lives Matter side and arguing that most of the black men whose names were posted were engaged in some form of criminal activity at the time of their death. “They weren’t fully innocent as you’re trying to suggest,” Metzger said.

Prayer walk The following week, senior Hannah Schaefer organized a prayer walk to engage Taylor community members in praying for racial reconciliation and repentance from the sin of racism on campus.

On the nights of Oct. 4, 5 and 6, a group of between 40 and 60 students gathered outside of Rupp, linked arms and walked one lap around the campus loop. The students took turns praying aloud.

Schaefer said it was awkward for some students—linking arms with a stranger and walking as a crowd around the campus—but it was an awkward she was okay with. She planned the event mainly for “white moderates.” This term borrowed from Martin Luther King Jr. describes white people who care about racial issues but rarely display those views in public.

Metzger agrees that race relations have been hurt, but he said reconciliation is not necessary. “Everything’s good,” Metzger said.

“You weren’t a slave. I wasn’t slave owner. You weren’t a slave owner. I wasn’t a slave . . . It’s a done deal.”

Later, Metzger said race relations is something worth praying for, but just praying won’t solve anything; people have to actively work to solve it.

Woke Week This week, the Black Student Union (BSU) hosted Woke Week. It was comprised of three events, including public discussions and a movie that discussed race.

According to Nurse, “woke” is a term commonly used by people of color to describe being aware of racial tensions and social injustices.

Nursesaid the events were designed to clear up misconceptions about the Black Lives Matter movement. Major misconceptions about Black Lives Matter are that it is anti-white, anti-police or a hate group, according to Nurse.

“There have been several people, who can remain unnamed, who have asked us (to) not do Woke Week because it is not a good time or it makes them uncomfortable,” Nurse said. “They don’t want to do anything controversial and don’t want to make any of the alumni upset . . . Caring for other people and a lot of times breaking the status quo is a lot of times what Jesus did and what he said to people was uncomfortable. And it didn’t always feel good. If we are going to be a body of believers then we have to step out of our comfort zones—regardless of whether it is homecoming weekend.”

Community members’ suggestions Schaefer describes Taylor’s collective disposition toward conversations of race as a tentative curiosity. “I think most students on campus are becoming aware that talking about race is (a) conversation that needs to be had,” she said. “I think what is key now is how we talk about race—giving the people the tools and space to ask good questions.”

Students think there are various ways to gain those tools. Romer said he is taking a class on racial issues next semester and wants others to join him. In a letter to the Taylor community about the Upland post office incident, President Lowell Haines encouraged the Taylor community to pray, impact the world for Christ and stand in solidarity with minorities who are threatened.

Metzger suggested a different approach: “The best way to solve this whole issue and make it go away just like that, in the words of Morgan Freeman, would be: ‘Stop talking about it.’ Stop factoring in race.”

Lee wants white students to let go of white guilt, the guilt that comes from other white people harming minorities, whether currently or historically. Lee said once students push past their white guilt, they become strong allies and advocates for minorities.

Behind the

Headlines

The process: At the height of the 2016 presidential race, my tiny school in rural Indiana felt like a microcosm of the United States. Undocumented students worried about deportation, some conservatives quietly hoped for Trump’s victory, and race relations reached a tension point that I had never before observed in our for-better-or-worse intentional Christian community. Despite leading 30 young journalists and taking a full course load, I took on this long-form feature project — and students were ready to talk.

The results: I don’t have click statistics for this article, but from my observation, it was the most shared student article on Facebook that academic year. It won Best in-depth reporting from the Indiana Collegiate Press Association.

Facing a tiny dating pool, NYC Mormons turn to new app

September 27, 2017 NEW YORK — They are looking for big love in the Big Apple.

In a religion where only marrying another Mormon allows you to enter the highest heaven, single Mormons in the New York area feel trapped in their tiny local dating pool.

Women outnumber men in the Mormon church and everyone seems to know everyone in the city’s Young Single Adult stake, which is similar to a diocese. But many are turning to a new dating app that was made with Mormons in mind.

“It’s grim,” Angela Carder, a marketing manager who lives in Manhattan, said about the Mormon dating culture. “I’m 37 and still single. I’ve never been married.”

There are about 2,000 unmarried Mormons in the greater New York City area, Carder said.

Charles Rogers is one of those 2,000 area Mormons. Rogers, a 32-year-old tech and project manager and Manhattan resident, said many of his friends got married in their early 20s, soon after they returned from “mission,” a two-year stint of sharing their faith that is strongly encouraged by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS).

“It is sort of the idea of the rapture,” Rogers laughed, acknowledging the rapture is not part of the Mormon theology. “Everyone who is left is not as good at dating.”

Mutual, a dating app that’s sort of a Tinder for Mormons, is hoping to help people like Roger who feel left behind. Released last year, the app already has 100,000 worldwide users.

“I’m kind of surprised it didn’t exist before,” Cooper Boice, the Arizona-based app founder, said. The mobile app may give more traditional LDS dating sites such as LDSsingles.com a run for their money — Boice said the app made its first dollar last week after the rollout of a new premium feature.

Tinder and Bumble in the past, but things never progressed past the first few dates.

For single Mormons outside of Utah and the surrounding states, local dating options are slim.

The New York vibe is different, too. Rogers said because singles in New York tend to be a little older, dating has “higher stakes” compared to his more carefree days as a student at BYU Utah.

“If you’re trying to date in the Mormon pool, there is not a lot of selection,” Carder said. “You exhaust your resources because there is no one available in your area.”

Plus, dating within smaller congregations, called wards or branches, can be tricky. If you break up with your significant other, you’ll likely still have to see them.

But with a simple swipe up, single Mormons in different states, or even continents, can meet.

Mikaela Linares, a Freehold, N.J., resident spent a few years rebelling against her parents and not attending the LDS Church.

During that time, she dated non-church members, but she said her relationships always seemed to be missing an essential element.

Last spring, she tried Mutual, where she met her soon-to-be husband, Ethan, a Missouri resident.

“I told him I was looking for an eternal best friend,” Linares said.

The church of Latter-Day Saints believes that two Mormons who are married in a temple and stay faithful to their covenant will stay married eternally after death — and in order to enter the celestial kingdom, the third and highest heaven and the one closest to God, you must be married.

“Getting eternally married to someone will allow you to get higher glory,” Caitlyn Bonzo, a student at the Brigham Young University (BYU) in Idaho, said.

Thanks to Boice’s app, dozens of engagements — with eternal marriages on the way — have already occurred.

Although there are more women than men in the religion, Boice sees a rather balanced demographic on his app: about 55% of users are female and 45% are male.

Yet, singles like Bonzo may not have as much need for the app. After all, she attends the LDS school in the middle of what Boice called “The Book of Mormon Belt.” In Idaho, where Bonzo attends school, one in five people are Mormons.

Bonzo said students joke about the higher rates of women to men in the religion, but the disparity is not noticeable on campus. Men often ask women on dates, and students get to know each other in groups.

But in the greater New York City area, the gap is noticeable. Carder said there are “probably more” than two women for every man.

Carder and Rogers both said they’ve tried other dating apps like

“I knew I was really looking to date someone who shared my same goals, which I wouldn’t be able to find with someone who didn’t share my beliefs,” Rogers said.

But Carder and Rogers still find hope that the next swipe up on Mutual will lead them to their eternal best friend.

Behind the

Headlines

The process: It was my first month in the massive New York Daily Newsroom in lower Manhattan, and I was primarily rewriting headlines for AP stories or aggregating content to help the newsroom get its fair share of clicks from trending topics. However, I wanted to contribute something fresh, something original, to the publication. I pitched this local-take on the Morman dating scene after reading CNN’s brief write-up about Mutual, a new dating app.

My research included connecting to NYC’s young single adult stake through Facebook groups, performing four phone interviews and reading primary religious documents to ensure I understood the religion’s theological underpinnings for its emphasis on marriage.

The result: The day after publication, this article was listed in Politico’s daily New York Playbook, a rite of passage for journalists in the City. It earned my editor’s trust, proving to him that I have an eye for features, and that I could explain the intersection of culture and religion. A few months later, I met several of my sources in person, and they gave me what I still consider the highest praise: they told me I portrayed their subculture accurately and with respect.

12

Corn still king, but not for long

July 27, 2017

the market’s changing yearly demands can feel like a gamble.

MARION, Ind. — Grant county farmers have asked the same question for the past few years: which is more profitable to plant – soybeans or corn?

Hurt thought the U.S. would see more acres of soybeans than corn this year, which would have been a first since 1983, according to David Pitt of the Associated Press, but at the last moment “corn made a leap … and got a little bit ahead on acreage so corn is still king for this year,” Hurt said.

“What really carried us financially wasn’t the corn,” Chris Hurt, Purdue agricultural economics professor, said to a group of farmers at an educational seminar at Central Indiana Ethanol last week. “With good yields and low prices last year, it was … the soybeans.”

A Purdue report from October predicted the revenue from soybeans harvested from average productivity to be $261 per acre – $50 more than corn, which is $211 per acre.

But the decision of what to plant next year is more nuanced than simply planting what is most profitable because the crops may require different machinery and production costs and predicting

The number of soybeans planted increased to 89.5 million acres nationwide, up by seven percent from last year. Corn decreased by four percent but it still won the acreage race at 90 million acres.

Hurt expects soybeans to finally edge out corn in acreage next year, in large part due to the high demand in China, where, Pitt said, “soybean meal feeds pigs, cows and fish in a culture increasingly seeking to eat more meat.”

But the weather in South America – more so than the Chinese craving for meat – will affect Grant County farmers’ profitability.

“Obviously what happens in South America, as very big producers of both corn and (as) the world’s bean producers will have an impact,” Hurt said.

“If they have trouble with their bean crop and low production in South America, that’s going to really stimulate bean prices and we will have a lot more beans. If they have a super crop of beans in South America … then it’s going to tend to lower world prices and we will probably see corn stay king,” Hurt added.

One metric economists use to gauge demand is ending stocks, which are essentially the leftover crops from the previous year’s inventory.

In 2016, corn had 16.3 percent leftover, while soybeans had only 10 percent. Wheat, which is largely not planted in Indiana but is a player in neighboring states, had well over 50 percent leftover last year in what Hurt described as an “overwhelming disaster.”

The statistics led Indiana farmers to convert some of their cornfields to soybean fields and farmers in other Eastern Corn Belt states to give up on wheat in favor of the financially more attractive soybeans.

Behind the

Headlines

The process: Farming is a way of life for many of those in Central Indiana who read the work I produced as a Eugene S. Pulliam intern. Already, I had reported on Huntington County’s government subsidized cover crop offer and Grant County’s zealous 4-H families. This agricultural story presented a new challenge: covering the intersection of local economics, world trade and the cornfields I drove through every day. I attended a seminar for farmers and heard their concerns, examined them in light of an expert’s opinions and dove into the research on a threehour deadline.

The result: This article was published in the Chronicle-Tribune’s Sunday business section and picked up by several publications in the area, including the Indiana Economic Digest.

14

His friend may have a year to live, so they made the ultimate bucket list

December 4, 2017 Cancer isn’t stopping two friends from having the year of their lives.

When Dillon Hill, 19, found out his best friend’s leukemia was back and not responding to medication, he dropped everything to spend time with Chris Betancourt.

The pair created an online bucket list of activities — ranging from playing a massive game of paintball to flying a plane — and are accepting donations to help fund their adventures.

Betancourt called Hill in late October to tell him his cancer had returned, saying he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to experience all that life has to offer.

“I decided to drop out of college to spend time experiencing our bucket list together,” Hill said.

Now the pals are crossing off up to five items every week from the ever-evolving list. On Saturday, Betancourt flew a plane — a War World II bomber — and next week they are traveling to Reddit’s San Francisco headquarters to have a massive pillow fight with the site’s employees.

Donors can add suggestions to the bucket list, and Hill admits they probably won’t complete all of the 79-and-counting items.

While traveling to space or appearing on Russian TV are a bit of a long shot, Hill told the Daily News that the more normal, everyday activities are more important to Betancourt.

Like buying a new car. Or finding love.

Betancourt’s most recent diagnosis isn’t the first life hurtle the young men, who grew up selling lemonade on sunny Sacramento days together, have faced. Betancourt was diagnosed with chronic

myeloid leukemia in the 5th grade. Hill didn’t understand the situation at the time, but his mother sobbed, and as the boys grew, the reality of his friend’s sickness became clear to Hill too.

But both boys remained positive, and long hours at the hospital were made more bearable by the pair’s favorite pastime: video games. Years passed and the boys faced another tragedy: Betancourt’s sister, who was also Hill’s girlfriend, committed suicide in 2014. The boys were sophomores in high school.

“We’re so young, and we’ve gone through so much,” Hill said. They again turned to video games as their “means of escape.”

Two years after Betancourt’s sister died, the boys were sitting in their senior English class at Del Campo high school when Hill had an idea. He Googled how to start a nonprofit and soon after launched Gamers Gift, a charity that brings virtual reality technology to children in the hospital and to people living with disabilities so they can “go beyond their wheelchair, go beyond their hospital bed,” Hill explained. His experiences of those childhood days seated by Betancourt’s hospital bed and pounding game controllers were his inspiration.

Behind the

Headlines

The process: Three rapidly-produced articles a day was my typical quota at the New York Daily News, but when I was assigned this story, I knew it needed extra time and attention. So I gave it about four hours instead of my typical two. Using my twitter-sleuthing skills, I tracked down Dillon Hill and listened on the phone as he told the emotional story of friendship, loss and the beautiful journey of a life well-lived.

The result: I grew in empathy and felt honored to have told such an amazing story.

Now, Hill’s main focus is Betancourt and their list. He told the Daily News that he hopes their campaign will draw attention to Betancourt’s biggest need: a bone marrow donor. Without a donor, doctors explained, Betancourt will only live one or two more years.

With a donor, he has a chance to survive.

As they wait for the person whose matching blood-forming cells may save Betancourt’s life, the friends continue conquering their big plans. They want the bucket list project to be truly collaborative and invite others to join their ventures. Hill said he is working on an online calendar that maps out where the pair will be.

“So if we are in LA, flying a plane, you can sign up and join us if there’s a spot,” Hill said over the phone as he headed his IT job.

With their endless imaginations, the young men only face one current limitation: transportation.

“We can only go as far as our gas tank will take us,” Hill explained.

The friends hope to acquire an RV as they continue to cross more activities off their bucket list.

“You never know when it’s going to be your last day,” Hill said.

16

Evangelical leaders blame ‘spiritual sickness,’ not guns, for Texas church shooting

November 6, 2017 In the wake of Sunday’s mass shooting at a Texas church, evangelical leaders have been forced to confront the balance between peace and protection of the vulnerable.

People look for simple solutions to violence because they are frustrated, Eric Metaxas, a popular evangelical author and a member of President Trump’s faith advisory board, said. But he believes there is a deeper root to America’s problems.

At least 26 people died in the shooting at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, one of about 2,000 Southern Baptist churches in Texas with fewer than 100 members.

“What is happening in American culture that is causing people to do this?” Metaxas said. “It’s not guns, we’ve always had guns. It’s a spiritual sickness.”

Despite the tragedy, church leaders don’t expect conservative support of gun rights to change. Many American evangelicals have the same response to the shooting: people are screwed up and they need God — not necessarily tighter gun laws.

That theology of “fallen” people or a “spiritual sickness,” combined with biblical teaching against violence, has caused evangelical churches to struggle with stances on anti-gun legislation and church policy. On one hand, they believe God has called them to live peacefully. On the other, they want to practically protect their congregations.

“The problem is that human nature is fallen,” Jim Richards, the Southern Baptists of Texas convention executive director, said as he drove to the shooting scene on Monday.

Instead of entering the political arena and reforming gun laws,

churches often develop security plans and put preventative measures in place to protect their Sunday morning gatherings, Ben Woodard, a Southern Baptist children’s minister from Tennessee said. Smaller churches may not have security teams in place, but mega-churches often do.

Many evangelicals take the disposition that “guns don’t kill people, people kill people” — and if an active shooter arrives during worship, some congregations are ready to fire back.

Woodard’s church has a trained, volunteer security team in place during Sunday services.

“Churches and pastors do have the responsibility of protecting their congregation from people who would want to harm them, the same way that schools, hospitals, shopping centers and entertainment events protect the public,” Woodard said. “This does not undermine the biblical call for peace and nonviolence, but it does acknowledge dangers in this world and the depravity of human beings.”

The Texas Southern Baptist convention, of which the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs is a member, has armed cops and plainclothes officers at their statewide convention meetings and at some of the larger churches affiliated with the denomination.

“The idea that Christians are called to do nothing is a misunderstanding of ‘turning the other cheek,’” Metaxas said, referring to a biblical teaching that some interpret as a call to total nonviolence.

“First it’s a spiritual problem, but that doesn’t mean you don’t do what you can. But you’ve got to call evil, evil.”

Richards agrees and believes the Bible allows violence when necessary.

“We’re not pacifists … (We) have the right to defend your loved ones, the right to defend the vulnerable. Christians have the civil authority to use lethal force if necessary,” he said, referencing a passage in the book of Romans.

Others disagree. Aaron Housholder, a professor at an evangelical university, highlighted the contradiction of mourning with victims while simultaneously supporting gun rights.

“We need to do much better than to say, I send my thoughts and prayers, but don’t touch my guns,” Housholder said. “We hurt our individual ministries, we sully the Good News of the Gospel, and we take the name of Christ in vain if we do not mourn with those who mourn, and especially if we align ourselves… .with the very instruments of death that caused the mourning.”

Behind the

Headlines The process: My heart ached on October 1, 2017, as I phoned the family members and friends of those killed in the Las Vegas shooting. I wanted to weep along with those who answered my question, “Is your loved one alive?” I left that day hoping to never cover another mass shooting. Just over a month later, the Sutherland Springs church shooting happened, and the newsroom was again thrown into an all-hands-on-deck situation, but this time, my intern-status sidelined me in the initial news-gathering effort. I knew I could contribute; I grew up in a Southern Baptist Church, and I knew the culture well. I phoned contacts from back home and landed quick interviews with the director of the Southern Baptists of Texas as well as the evangelicalbigwig, Eric Metaxas.

The result: The “Spiritual Sickness” article added to the national gun-rights discussion early on in the wake of the Texas Church Shooting, beating Washington Post religion writer, Sarah Pulliam Bailey (in timeliness, not quality). My editor later entrusted me to write the now-award-winning piece, “After Tex. church shooting, Southern Baptists meet about security.” You can read the latter article in my online portfolio.

Woodard said he didn’t think the tragedy will cause a shift in conservative thoughts on gun reform.

“Gun reform laws involve a much larger political stratosphere that I don’t imagine most pastors would feel comfortable making a public stand on,” he said. “Even if a pastor did have a deep personal conviction for one side or the other, it is unlikely that this would be an issue that an entire congregation could come to (an) agreement on, much less an entire denomination of autonomous (Southern Baptist) churches.”

18

Design Examples

Wedding Invitation

About the

Project

The process: This subdued artistic wedding invitation is a departure from my typical cut and dry business design style. I used creative commons watercolor flowers and foliage and rearranged and edited them to fit my vision. Working within Tina’s chosen color palette, I produced this cover and three options for the invitation’s back. The result: A very happy bride-to-be.

24

20-page handbook About Honors Ockenga’s Story Students participating in the Taylor University Honors Guild are designated “Ockenga Scholars” in recognition of one of Taylor’s most distinguished alumni, Dr. Harold Ockenga. A pastor associated with the mid-twentieth century evangelical revival in the United States, Dr. Ockenga served for more than three decades as the senior pastor at Boston’s influential Park Street Church.

Additionally, he is often recognized for his contribution to organizations including the National Association of Evangelicals, the periodical Christianity Today, and educational institu-

vision The Taylor University Honors Guild is a community manifesting the core values of the University by investing in scholarly research, critical inquiry, community life, intercultural competency, spiritual vitality, and global literacy.

China 2015

Honors Leaders Dr. Andrew T. Draper

Dr. Andrew T. Draper serves as Director of the Honors Guild and teaches theology in Taylor’s Biblical Studies department. A 2000 Taylor graduate, Draper earned his PhD in theological ethics from the University of Aberdeen. Draper is the author of “A Theology of Race and Place: Liberation and Reconciliation in the Works of Jennings and Carter” as well as numerous articles and reviews.”Draper seeks to empower Honors students to think deeply about their academic endeavors and carefully consider how their lives and vocations can reflect the rule and reign of Jesus. Outside of Taylor, Draper is founding senior pastor of Urban Light Community Church and Community Development Corporation, a holistic, inner-city ministry in the urban core of Muncie, Indiana.

Jennifer Moeschberger

Jennifer Moeschberger is the Director of Honors Guild Programming, and an Assistant Professor. Jennifer organizes the extensive co-curriculum that the Honors program has to offer, and she facilitates international travel experiences. She has a Masters in Counseling Psychology from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Jennifer has experience in a wide variety of areas including event planning, editing, counseling and as a Resident Director at Taylor University.

The Honors Guild has two Graduate Assistants who are part of the program for a two year cycle as part of the Master of Arts in Higher Education and Student Development degree requirement.

They oversee much of the daily operations and co-curricular aspects of the program.

Eli Casteel

tions like Fuller Theological Seminary, Gordon College, and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.

Most importantly, though, the Honors Guild associates itself with Dr. Ockenga because he was an exemplar of the qualities we wish to instill in our students. His dogged pursuit of personal holiness, his staunch commitment to global mission, and his unwavering insistence that ideas and behaviors are interrelated are all representative of the core values of the Taylor University Honors Guild.

The Taylor University Honors Guild exists to engage intellectually curious students with an academically rigorous interdisciplinary course of study and co-curricular programming designed to integrate scholarship, critical inquiry, personal praxis, service, and social action.

mission

Leadership Cabinet &

Honors Lodge The Honors Lodge In 2009, the Honors Guild acquired a home on the Northwest corner of campus. The one story house (dubbed the Ockenga Scholars Lodge) provides space for Honors Guild students and faculty to ask questions, discuss themes and ideas, and enjoy fellowship in a home environment.

Honors Colloquium and preceptorial courses meet regularly in the main room, and the leadership cabinet meets in the Lodge to plan events and programs. Our students particularly enjoy relaxing and studying in a space outside of the residence halls and library. They also cook and bake in the Lodge kitchen, which is always stocked with tea, coffee, and assorted snacks.

The Lodge also provides ideal space for interacting closely with scholars and speakers from the Taylor community and beyond through talkback sessions with scholars hosted by Honors following wider campus lectures. On one side of the house, a guest apartment provides lodging for Honors visiting scholars. The Honors Guild Graduate Assistant lives in a second apartment and facilitates events and manages the space for classes and programs.

Honors Leadership Cabinet The Honors Cabinet is made up of representatives from each cohort and two student co-directors. The group meets weekly with the graduate assistants to: • Provide insight and suggestions to Honors faculty and staff about themes, co-curriculum, and the programming • Offer recommendations for books, films, and speakers • Supervise and manage Lodge open house hours • Create and implement various activities for the Honors Guild and individual cohorts including cohort social events, field trips, retreats, film viewings and discussions, and attendance at campus events

Eli Casteel is the second-year MAHE student and Graduate Assistant for the Honors Guild. He is originally from Portland, Oregon, and received a BA in Political Science at Whitworth University (‘15). He coached cross country and track and field and worked with at risk freshmen at a high school in Oregon.

Griffin Gardner

Griffin Gardner is a first year MAHE student who graduated from Taylor with a Philosophy with Systems degree. He was a four-year college athlete in the men’s soccer program. He enjoys board games, deep conversations, and listening to how others form opinions and thoughts.

The 2017-2018 theme Reconciliation and Restoration: resisting discourses of “othering” by recognizing God’s holistic work of redemption through Jesus”

Course Catalog Academic introduction

Honors classes are opportunities to ask critical questions and to think deeply. Honors sections of courses tend to be smaller and more discussion oriented. Students often have the opportunity to engage with primary sources and to follow the trajectories of their questions. Honors courses tend to fall in one of three categories: “core” courses that fulfill Foundational Core Credits (e.g. CAS 120, BIB 210, HUM 330, PHI 413), “elective” courses that offer the chance to specialize in an area of inquiry (e.g. COS 321, HNR 210, CHE 120, IAS courses), and colloquia (discussion-oriented close readings of texts).

Course catalog

Honors courses are offered either in the Fall or the Spring, according to a regular rotation. The following is a list of key Honors courses arranged by the semester in which they tend to be offered. The course taught in conjunction with the first-year J-term trip rotates according to the travel location.

Fall course title

course

course title

course

Blue Biblical Literature II

BIB 210H

3.0

IAS 110H

Interpersonal Communications

CAS 120H

3.0

Forensic Science

CHE 120

4.0

Ways of Knowing

MAT 220

4.0

HUM 330H

4.0

General Education Courses

Courses highlighted in blue count for general education credit.

For more information and to view current course offerings, visit http://www.taylor.edu/academics/special-programs/honors-guild/courses.shtml

credit hours

World Literature

ENG 230

3.0

Food, Faith, and Culture

HNR 270

3.0

Ethics and Technology

COS 321

3.0

Contemporary Christian Belief

PHI 413H

3.0

Fall/Spring

credit hours

Foundations Honors Preceptorial

Arts and Ideas

Spring

course title Honors Colloquium

Ethics Bowl

course HNR 255 PHI 382

credit hours 1.0 1.0

More options

Courses taken from the Lewis Center and Vocation courses may also count for colloquium credit.

About the

Project Honors Guild Ta y l o r U n i v e r s i t y

The process: The Honor’s Guild contracted me to create a new handbook for their programs. I did more than design; I communicated with the faculty members on a consistent basis about broad ideas, such as branding vision and little details, such as typos in their copy.

The result: They liked me so much that they contracted me again for a second and third edition, and their referrals to other clients have given me a consistent source of income throughout my college years.

26

Healthcare Brochure

About the

Project

The process: A class project turned into a lesson in Adobe Illustrator’s pen tool and creative means of communication, which turned into a newfound love of visual design. The result: An A in layout class.

28

Innovative Leadership

Entrepreneurial business plan: Gen-Z News Trivia App in the

know

A trivia app that makes you news-savvy.

Cassidy Grom Cassidy.grom@gmail.com Annabelle Blair Annabelle.Blair.16@gmail.com

About the

Project

The project: It is no secret that newspaper business is a sputtering machine ready to die from archaic business models and its failure to adapt to the online empire.

Tasked with solving this problem, fellow student Annabelle Blair and I developed a business plan for a news trivia app as part of our entrepreneurial journalism course at the McCandlish Phillips Journalism Institute. We gathered market research from over 200 Gen Zers and Millenials and designed an app that fit their needs. As founder and lead designer, I crafted an innovative revenue mix and visual wireframes to capture our vision.

The result: We pitched our business plan three times. Once in front of Newsweek media group’s head editor; once in front of Harvard law graduates turned entrepreneurs; and a third time via Skype at Taylor University’s Shark Tank. Each time, we became more confident public speakers and more passionate about making the news fun and enjoyable to a media-savvy generation. The second pitch landed me a few freelancing jobs with the Harvard grads’ startup, Get Thoughtfull.com.

30

in the

know

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know

Jalen HillJalen Hill

Dies Dies Hall of Fame Hall of Fame second baseman second baseman of the Boston Red of the Boston Red Sox dies at age 99 Sox dies at age 99

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know

Kyrie Irving Kyrie Irving

in the

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They were in China Bobby Doerr They werefor in China a tournament.

Bobby Doerr for a tournament.

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from which countries PeoplePeople from which countries can can no longer enter thewithout U.S. without a no longer enter the U.S. a fide relationship” with family “bona“bona fide relationship” with family or companies? or companies?

Libya Libya

Correct!

Correct!

Ghana

Dies Dies Hall of Fame Hallyour of Fame points team 3 points3for yourfor team second baseman second baseman of the Boston Red of the Boston Red Sox dies at age 99 Sox dies at age 99

Kyrie Irving Kyrie Irving

Yemen

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Sent home for Sent home for shoplifting shoplifting

One ofarticle threefor UCLA Read the article Save the One ofarticle three UCLA Read the article Save the for players that were

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N E X T authorities Q UofE shoplifting.

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Bobby Doerr for a tournament.

NOW

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32

34

Photos & Video

Huntington Heritage Days & Parade

36

About the

Project

The process: As a newbie to Huntington, Indiana, and it’s historic Herald-Press, I wasn’t sure why there was so much hype surrounding Heritage Days week, but I soon found out through the lens of my Nixon DSLR. The last Saturday of the festival found me sprinting through the streets of Huntington, capturing the beginning of the 5K one moment and kids competing in a pedal tractor pull the next.

The result: About six of the photos shown here were prominently displayed on the Herald-Press’s front page and special inserts — and I got a sunburn on my neck that outlined my camera strap.

38

Mini-documentary About the

Project The project: “Deaners: The Keepers of the Legend” is an exploration of the legacy of James Dean, a 1950’s actor who died at the young age of 24.

In recent decades, Dean has developed a cult-like following in Grant County, Indiana, my home for the past four years.

For this class project, two other students and I coordinated interviews, set up lighting, designed the sound, shot the video and edited the film to create a cohesive five-minute documentary. I contributed over 40 hours to the project.

The result: I learned to think as a visual journalist, listen for the best sound bites and direct interview subjects while maintaining objective journalistic standards.

Watch the

Documentary

https://bit.ly/2ET93Ls

Animated film script About the

Project

Writing radio commercial and business to consumer television advertisements was fun, but I thrived when it came to my final project for scriptwriting class: a fictional short film. I pulled from my experience as a young dancer in Louisville Ballett’s yearly production of the Nutcracker, and what my friends call my cheesy sense of humor, to produce this witty take on the modern day struggles of finding love as a Christmas Ornament.

HANGING IN THERE: A CHRISTMAS STORY

Written by Cassidy Grom

40

FADE UP FROM BLACK INT. ATTIC - DAY Plastic Christmas trees, boxes and decorations are stacked in the room. There is a faint hubub of a crowd. NORA, a ballerina ornament, peers longingly out of a hole in the box.

Nora is black and 7 inches tall but her proper posture gives her another inch. A light blue leotard is painted on her body with a matching tutu made of tulle.

Sigh

NORA

INT. BOX/ EXT. BOX VI LLAGE - DAY Until noted, the rest of the action takes place inside the box.

Nora turns away from the hole and walks through the box. She opens a book and reads while she walks. A path leads through a village made of various Christmas decorations. The ornaments made their homes and businesses in a Christmas village set — complete with fake snow on the roofs. A train circles the village, and the road is lined with candy canes.

Plastic wreathes make up a distant wilderness.

As Nora goes by, other ornaments go about their day-to-day tasks. A WISE MAN teaches young ornaments while he points to an astrological map, MRS. CLAUS uses a NUTCRACKER ornament to chop up nuts for her cookies and a SHEPHERD FIGURINE pulls off bits of a wreath to feed his SHEEP. SHEPHERD Hi there, Ms. Nora!

Nora glances up wit hout a smile. She goes back to reading her book.

INT. NORA’S PLASTIC GINGER BREAD HOUSE - DAY Nora starts to sit down. When outside her house, in the village square, there is a large thud. Sirens go off.

EXT. NORA’S WINDOW - DAY Nora looks outside, perplexed. Her house is on the hill, giving her a perfect view into the Village Square.

2.

EXT. VILLAGE SQUARE - DAY Assorted ornaments help Victor out of his packaging. SANTA, with his iconic white beard, leads the group. He talks like he just came from the backwoods of Kentucky and he is dressed like it too. He is wearing green flannels, brown suspenders and a red vest.

SANTA (To others) Careful now. Grab the corner there.

Victor, a tanned ornament with luscious blonde hair, stands.

He is wearing boxers with red hearts and the words, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” on them. He is topless and has a defined six pack.

EXT. NORA'S WINDOW - DAY Nora rolls her eyes, closes the blinds and goes back to her book.

EXT. VILLAGE SQUARE - DAY Victor, confused, looks around. Other ornaments look on, curious and scared. MRS. CLAUS pushes a young ornament behind her. Victor realizes he is t opless and is embarrassed. He crosses his arms in front of his chest. Victor has never been out of his box and has never held a conversation. Santa steps forward.

SANTA Ya got a name, sonny?

VICTOR No. I think.

SANTA Well then, Vegas boy, welcome to our box. Here. For ya.

Santa takes off his red vest, hands it to Victor, who squeezes it on.

SANTA (To crowd) Y’all be nice. Ya hear?

Santa leaves the town squ are and one by one the other ornaments exit. Victor is left standing alone.

42

3.

EXT. VILLAGE SQUARE - NEXT MORNING Mrs. Claus drags a huge bag of flour to her cookie shop. Like her husband, Santa, Mrs. Claus is wearing green plaid but her white curly hair peaks out of her bonnet, giving her a grandmotherly feel. The scraping noises wake up Victor, who slept all night on a stoop in the village square. He jogs over to Mrs. Claus and hoists the bag on his shoulder.

MRS. CLAUS Oh! Thank you, dearie.

Victor smiles.

VICTOR My name’s Victor.

Various scenes of Victor helping other ornaments and making friends. He helps the shepherd figurine fix his staff. They shake hands.

Victor longingly notices Nora in the distance purchasing food.

FOOD VENDOR Have a good day, ma’am.

Nora gives the slightest of smiles then turns and walks away with her head down.

Victor bounces a giggling baby Jes us figurine up and down.

Victor longingly notices Nora reading a novel on a park bench.

Victor puts new batteries in a ROBOT ORNAMENT. The ornament spins around in joy.

Victor longingly notices Nora picking cherries off the wreaths.

INT. MRS. CLAUS’S COOKIE SHOP - DAY Victor laughs while he rolls out dough with Mrs. Claus.

EXT. VILLAGE SQUARE Nora enters the library.

4.

INT. MRS. CLAUS'S BAKE SHOP Victor stares out the window at Nora.

MRS. CLAUS You’ve got it bad, dearie. Take some advice from a grey-haired ornament like me: Nora isn’t like the rest of us.

Victor nods and looks down at dough. Nora, holding a stack of books, walks by the window and Victor’s eyes follow her.

INT. NORA'S PLASTIC GIGNER BREAD HOUSE - DAY The doorbell rings. Nora opens the door to see Victo r.

VICTOR Hi, um Nora. My name is Victor.

NORA (dryly)Yes. I know who you are.

VICTOR Well I um. I’ve seen you around the village and I um...

NORA You decided to save me from indefinite loneliness?

VICTOR No, it’s not like that at all.

Here, I um. This is for you.

Victor hands Nora a package tied with a bow. She takes it skeptically. She opens it and her eyes soften. It is an ornate picture book of the Nutcr acker story.

NORA It’s lovely.

VICTOR I hoped you would like it. I uh.

I’ll catch you later.

Victor turns and starts walking down the road.

Victor?

Yes?

NORA VICTOR

44

5.

NORA Victor, would you like a cup of tea?

The duo sip tea and pour over the picture book.

Time passes with a montage of Nora and Victor doing activities together. Victor introduces her to his new friends, Nora shows him her book collection and they both make cookies at Mrs. Claus’ shop where they toss flour at each other.

EXT. VILLAGE SQUARE - DECORATION DAY FESTIVAL - NIGHT The village square is dec orated for a special occasion.

Strands of Christmas lights are strung from building to building. Victor pushes through the crowd, looking for Nora.

SANTA (Standing on podium talking to crowd)It is my pleasure to welcome y’all to the pre-decoration day festival. Tomorrow we will each be hung on the tree and we will do what ornaments are made to do: make humans smile.

The crowd cheers. Victor keeps se arching.

SANTA Now I know some of y’all are worried ‘bout what tomorrow will bring. But there’s no reason to worry ‘bout what ya can’t control.

The wise men nod thoughtfully. Mrs. Claus wrings her hands nervously. Victor keeps searching.

SANTA So let’s dance and be merry!

Music starts and ornaments pair off to dance. Victor starts jogging up the path to Nora’s house. Mrs. Claus steps in front of him, bl ocking her path.

MRS. CLAUS Dearie, tonight’s not a good night for Nora. Leave her be.

Victor, even more concerned than before, pushes past her and sprints the rest of the way to Nora’s house.

6.

INT. NORA'S PLASTIC GIGNER BREAD HOUSE - NIGHT Without knocking, Victor opens the door and rushes in.

VICTOR (Hollering) Nora?

NORA (With a wobbling voice) Hello?

Victor follows her voice to the bedroom. Nora, curled up on her bed, cries. Victor sits beside her and wraps his arms around her.

VICTOR What’s wrong?

NORA (Breathing hard, trying to control her sobs) On my first Decoration Day...

FLASHBACK- INT. GREEN TOTE Young Nora sits comfortably on a pile of garland between her parents. Nora doesn’t look any different but she acts much younger. Her father is dressed in early 18th century suit and her mother is dressed in a subdued leotard and tutu.

NORA’S FATHER Nora, sweetie, if you get separated from us..

NORA’S MOTHER Which never happens..

NORA’S FATHER But if it does, then don’t forget your aunt Tracey is in the red tote and cousin Jerry is in the yellow tote. They will take care of you.

Young Nora nods and snuggles closer to her parents, seeking their reassurance.

INT. NORA’S FIRST OWNER’S HOUSE Nora and her parents hang on the Christmas tree together. A child’s hand reaches out and grabs Nora. The child is the younger version of the FEMALE OWNER, a spunky black woman.

The human child tugs on Nor a, shaking the whole tree.

46

7.

Nora’s face stays frozen but she is frightened. Her eyes dart rapidly, catching a glimpse of her parents who are reaching out hopelessly.

FEMALE HUMAN #1 Good choice! That ballerina will look beautiful at your house!

INT. OWNER’S HOUSE The female owner, as a child, hangs Nora on a new tree. Nora waits until the Female Owner leaves before she allows her face to show her grief.

YOUNG NORA Mother?! Father ?!

Young Nora hyperventilates and sobs. She hangs from the hook in her back limply. She has no energy to pose in her grangette position.

INT. ATTIC - DAY The female owner puts her in the box with Santa, Mrs. Claus and the others.

INT. BOX. - DAY Nora sits alone in the corner screaming every time the wellmeaning ornaments draw near.

Mrs. Claus and Santa approach YOUNG NORA Go away! Go away! I hate all of you!

FLASHBACK ENDS. INT. NORA'S PLASTIC GIGNER BREAD HOUSE - NIGHT Victor still holds Nora.

VICTOR I’m so sorry, Nora. I’m so sorry.

Nora sniffles. They stay in that position for a while. Nora’s head is buried in Victor’s arms. Her sobs slow down.

8.

VICTOR Lets get your mind off of it. (smiling encouragingly) Aren’t ballerinas meant to dance?

EXT. VILLAGE SQUARE - NIGHT The crowd parts as Nora and Victor walk in. She holds his arm. Tchaikovsky’s “Waltz of the Flowers” plays. They dance beautifully. Victor launches Nora in the air several times.

The crowd claps. The music crescendos and they kiss.

One by one the ornaments leave the square. Santa taps Victor on the shoulder and Victor surrenders Santa’s loaned vest.

Nora kisses Victor on the cheek and gracefully walks back to her house. Before she enters, she turns and waves to Victor.

Victor is left standing alone in the square with a huge grin on his face.

Action now takes place inside the box, as well as throughout the owner’s house.

INT. OWNER’S HOUSE - DAY The Female Owner takes CHARLOTT E, a NASA astronaut ornament, out of a shopping bag and hags her on the tree. She wears a tight orange jumpsuit and has curly blonde hair. The female owner hangs a NASA rocket beside her.

INT. ATTIC - DAY The and off the the

Male Owner, a tanned man with clumsy hands, takes Victor Nora out of the box. Nora’s hand hits the box and breaks her arm. Both Victor and Nora remain expressionless in presence of the human. The human puts Nora back inside box and hangs Victor on the tree.

INT. (NOW EMPTY)BOX - DAY Nora grabs her arm and screams in pain.

FLASHBACK- INT. NORA’S FIRST OWNER’S HOUSE This is a continuation of the previous flashback. Young Nora is taken off the tree, but her hook catches on the branch.

The human child tugs on Nora, shaking the whole tree. A SNOWMAN ornament vibrates and his ho ok starts slipping off the branch.

48

9.

As before, Nora catches one last glimpse of her parents. But this time, she also sees the snowman fall and shatter. Female Human #1 scoops him up and dumps him in a can labeled “Trash”.

FLASHBACK ENDS. Nora is still screaming. Gripping her hand, she breathes in and out. She relaxes.

NORA (To self) Its okay. You’re made of plastic. Its okay.

INT. OWNER’S HOUSE - TREE - AFTERNOON Victor frantically looks for a way to get back to Nora. He hops from branch to branch like they are monkey bars. When he is midair, the BOSTON TERRIER on the ground starts barking.

Victor pauses on a low branch and looks down in disgust at the dog. Victor spots Charlotte a few branches down. He shimmies down the tree and hooks himself on the branch next to Charlotte.

VICTOR Is that a rocket?

CHARLOTTE (With a Texas accent) W hy yes, it is.

Charlotte inches closer. Her chest is almost touching his.

CHARLOTTE Are you interested?

Very.

VICTOR

Charlotte leans her head in. She puts her hand on his chest.

CHARLOTTE (Whispering in his ear) That is what I like to hear.

VICTOR (Completely oblivious to her advances) I’m trying to get back to the attic. I need to be with Nora.

Two PILGRIM FIGURINES, each about two feet tall, see the excha nge between Charlotte and Victor from a distance. The pilgrim women are classic church ladies: 10 percent friendly and 90 percent gossip.

10.

Suddenly,the Pilgrim Figurines are whisked away by the Female Owner along with fall table clothes and a ceramic turkey.

CHARLOTTE (Pulling back) Who’s Nora?

VICTOR The most beautiful ornament I know.

Anyway, do you think your rocket could work?

INT. BOX. - AFTERNOON Nora has made a contraption out of Candy Canes and wire hooks. With one hand, she is trying to force open the lid of the box. She stops when she hears the Female Owner climb the attic stairs and set the Pilgrim Figurines down. Once the Female Owner leaves, she resumes poking the lid.

INT. ATTIC - AFTERNOON The Pilgrim figurines waddle by the box on their bases.

PILGRIM FIGURINE #1 And did you see that promiscuous Vegas man? He was making moves on the NASA girl!

INT. BOX. Nora overhears the Pilgrim women. Nora drops the candy cane and fa lls on her knees in defeat. She is devastated at the news.

PILGRIM FIGURINE #2 (Conversation becomes faded as they waddle away)I know! (in disgust) those aren’t the values that our country was founded on...

INT. OWNER'S HOUSE - TREE - AFTERNOON Victor is still trying to convince Charlotte to let him use her rocket. Charlotte sits on a branch with her head down.

She misjudged Victor. He was more than h is body. He was righteous. She feels shameful for making advances.

Victor sits beside her.

50

11.

VICTOR Listen, I can tell that you’re hurting.

Hmmm.

CHARLOTTE

VICTOR But I promise you, someday you’ll find someone too. But right now I have to get back to Nora. She is hurting and I need to be there.

CHARLOTTE (Looks up, thankful for the grace she was shown) Do you know how to work a joystick?

INT. OWNER'S HOUSE - AFTERNOON Suddenly, the owners make a commotion house. The doorbell ri ngs. The Female a PRIEST. The priest is wearing black cross. The Male Owner grabs the vodka movies off the floor and last minute,

and rush around the Owner opens the door to robes with a large off the fridge, dirty Victor off the tree.

INT. ATTIC - AFTERNOON The Male Owner pounds up the attic stairs, tosses the objects down but pauses when he sees the box. He opens the box. With one hand, he puts Victor in and with the other hand, he pulls Nora out. Their eyes connect as they pass each other. The Male Owner closes the box.

INT. EMPTY BOX - AFTERNOON Victor loses his cool and kicks the box in rage.

INT. OWNER'S HOUSE - AFTERNOON The Priest and the Female Owner chat. The Male Owner tosses Nora and her hand on a work bench in a separate room.

Days pass. Snow on the nearby melts. Nora lies st ill during the edge of the table but the feels hopeless. The “Waltz of mournfully in the background.

window seal accumulates and the day. At night she sits at Terrier growls underneath. Nora Flowers” plays slowly,

12.

INT. BOX. - MORNING, SEVERAL DAYS LATER The male human dumps the rest of the ornaments into the box.

Many give Victor a hug or a pat on the back. Santa gives Victor the vest back. The Jesus figurine crawls over to Victor. But he doesn’t pick Jesus up. He pats him on the head. Mrs. Claus offers him cookies but he declines.

Victor walks past Nora’s vacant house. He pauses and stares hopelessly at the house. He moves on as he kicks a dew drop candy down the street.

INT. OWNER'S HOUSE - AFTERNOON, A FEW WEEKS LATER The male owner clears objects off the work bench. His hands come to Nora and he pauses. He gingerly glues her hand back to her arm. A little glue seeps out.

INT. ATTIC - AFTERNOON The Male Owner walks with heavy steps up the stairs.

INT. BOX. – EVENING Houses, shops and people bounce up and down with each of the Male Owner’s steps, like a minor earthquake.

Victor’s face immediately brightens. While everyone else is holding on for dear life, Victor stands and sprints to the Village Square.

The box opens. Light pours in. Victor makes it to the town square just as the Male Owner’s hand places Nora into the box. The hand leaves.

Nora and Victor embrace with gusto. Nora keeps her elbow b ent with her mended hand close to her chest.

Quickly, all the ornaments come out to greet Nora. She hugs Mrs. Claus, high fives the robot ornament and picks up Jesus.

Everyone wants to greet their neighbor who was once reclusive but is now friendly.

Victor stays by her side the whole time. One by one the other ornaments exit. Victor and Nora are left standing alone.

They sit and lean against the st oop. Victor carefully pulls her arm away and inspects it. The glue is still a little wet.

NORA Good as new?

52

13.

VICTOR (Looking at her eyes, not her hand) No. Nora looks at him, puzzled.

VICTOR (Still looking in her eyes) It’s perfect.

Nora’s eyes soften.

VICTOR It’s lovely.

Nora smiles. They kiss. Victor lightly rubs Nora’s arm. He holds her hand.

We zoom out to see the whole village. The Christmas lights twinkle. All is right with the world.

EXT. VILLAGE SQUARE - SUNRISE Nora and Victor wake up. They had fallen asl eep while leaning against the stoop. Nora attempts to stand up. She can’t. Her efforts wake Victor up.

They pull apart but their hands stay attached. They pull harder. Nora giggles. They are stuck.

INT. OWNER'S HOUSE - TREE - 10 MONTHS LATER Nora and Victor hang on the tree together. Never to be separated again.

THE END.

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About the

Project

The process: Two class projects turned into a lesson in Adobe Illustrator’s pen tool and creative means of communication, which turned into a newfound love of visual design. The result: An A in layout class.