I set out to build a project that included personally talking to individual students around campus about some of the challenges they have had to overcome or are in the process of enduring. My overall goal is to create an interesting and exhaustive catalogue of a variety of students and their personal stories paired with a photograph to reveal the unfortunate commonality of struggles between individuals. I chose to use Tumblr to display the photographs and stories in hopes that the blog can be more accessible and can reach a larger audience. If I can help bring these issues to the forefront, my hope is that it will empower my fellow peers by acknowledging and allowing their stories to be told. Approaching this project, I understood that not all students would be comfortable sharing their personal struggles so I was prepared to only gather a handful of stories; however, I knew any story whether it was from just a few students, was valuable. I set out with my Nikon D5500 and began to approach students around campus. I explained to them my thesis project and why I believe this issue is an important topic. Of course, I was reciprocated with some students who told me they were in a rush to class or that the topic was not applicable to them. Others agreed to open up and share elements of their personal lives because they believe what I am doing could benefit many others. One student agreed to have a photograph taken of him and told me that he would send me a brief of his experiences later on. I assumed this was his way of blowing me off and avoiding to participate in my project; however, hours later, I received a long and extremely heartbreaking text message explaining his struggles. This further solidified my purpose. Many individuals need their stories heard but do not know how to go about telling them. This is what I have come to realize through the process of this project.
theartofmadeline
stormborns
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