More than Awards: How DSC shined at the FCSPA Conference

On November 12-14, the Florida College System Publication Association held its 66th Annual Conference and Awards Ceremony. Members from In Motion and Daytona State’s literary magazine, Aeolus, both attended, and collectively took home 24 awards.

Aeolus won first place in 6 categories, including General Excellence, Poetry, Photography, Design, Editing and landed in a tie for Best Cover. They also won Third in Best Poem, Nonfiction, Artwork, Two-page Spread Design, and Staff Page.

In Motion won first place in Best Editorial and Arts Review, second in Best Sports Story, Headline, and Feature Photo. In Motion was awarded third place for General Excellence and News Story.

But it doesn’t end there.

There were three other contests, reserved for students who are on-site, attending the conference. One was a photo contest and two writing contests, where students compete to draft their best Poem or Fiction story on-site.

For poetry, Aeolus members took home two awards.

Literary Editor, Amanda Rigazio won first place with her piece “Ballad of Seeds,” and Editor-in-Chief, Arwen Frye won third for her poem, “Too Little, Too Late.” Frye also won second place in Fiction, for her story “Rosalyn’s Purpose.”

 For the photo contest, students were required to take a photo during their time in Ocala. Between In Motion and Aeolus, Daytona State College had a clean sweep in the competition.

In third place, Aeolus’ Graphic Designer, Talafia English with her photo, “Reconstruction.” In Second place, In Motion’s Staff Writer and Photographer, Ashton Guitard’s photo, “Centered on Polaris.”

In first place was Aeolus member, Samantha Criscuolo’s Photo and Art Editor. Her photo, “Sunny Shining,” starred English as the photo’s subject.

But for the students who attended, it was more than a chance to win awards. It was an opportunity to learn, bond, and make memories.

 For one panel, it was making a product with three terms: chai, silly, and professional. Once the Chai Martini (served in a super silly star-shaped glass) was created, we then had to market it. After a long, hard day at work, doesn’t it sound great to unwind, and get silly with a Chai Martini?

One morning, all students attending the panels played a Family Feud-Style Game Show, where we saw Guitard stand on a table in an attempt to get called on, and it worked. He also answered correctly, so working harder and smarter has been proven effective.

After the conference, some members got together for a game of late-night “Uno: No Mercy,” where truly, no mercy was shown. There were secret alliances, secretive successors, and Frye, who ended up with a deck-worth of cards out of self-sacrifice.

On the first day of the conference, Frye developed the nickname “fearless leader.” It’s a nickname she clearly lives up to, even in Uno.

In the end, the conference was more than awards, it was a celebration of growth, creativity and community.

Each workshop, contest, and rounds of Uno strengthened our skills individually, but also the bonds that make In Motion and Aeolus such powerful teams. We left Ocala with a newfound confidence, new knowledge and a few new inside jokes, but most importantly, a deeper sense of pride in the work we do and the people we do it with.