How to Follow your Passion
1:30 PM – 2:30 PM

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Through dedication and motivation, you can be successful at anything. The more passionate you are and the more you believe in yourself, the more success you will have. Join us as Elly speaks about how to follow your passion.

Elly Bovarnick is 27 and grew up in Tampa, FL. She currently lives in Madrid, Spain. She studied Art and Art History at New College of Florida and has a master’s in Textile and Surface Design from the Instituto Europeo di Diseño. Elly is a textile designer currently working in a screen printing studio.

Appropriate for students in 6th – 12 grades.

Crafting Fiction From Reality
11:00 AM

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Writers in every genre across the board will dole out the same advice to new or aspiring authors: “Write what you know.”

As it turns out, there’s a good reason for giving this advice, but it doesn’t mean a new writer should ONLY write what happens in their day-to-day life. In fact, that would be pretty downright boring, and we read fiction to escape the ‘boring.’ Not only is it valid to take your own experiences, turn them around, mix them up, and indulge in exaggeration to create fiction that’s wondrous and believable at the same time…but it’s encouraged! In this presentation, She will share her real life experiences and how she infused them into her fiction.

L. Ryan Storms is a writer, photographer, traveler, and dreamer. She’s a member of the Eastern Pennsylvania chapter of SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators). Once upon a time, Storms majored in Marine Science, minoring in Chemistry and Psychology, at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania. After many unique experiences in the workforce, she eventually pivoted to writing full-time. She now uses her science background to write young adult fantasy and science fiction. Her debut Young Adult fantasy, A Thousand Years to Wait, placed first in YA Fiction in the 2021 Royal Dragonfly Book Awards, and her latest fantasy, Temper the Dark, was recently short-listed for a 2023 Ozma Award by Chanticleer International Book Awards. When she’s not in front of the computer, she can be found in the suburbs, snuggling her pet chickens.

Appropriate for students in 6th – 12 grades.

10:30 AM – 11:30 AM

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Lindsay will talk about Clearwater Marine Aquarium’s work as a working marine animal hospital and home for resident animals!

Lindsay Roland is the Director of Conservation Education at Clearwater Marine Aquarium, where she oversees the educational programming, summer camps, and educational eco-boat tours.  She has worked at Clearwater Marine Aquarium for almost 9 years and loves the people and animals she gets to work with each day.  Lindsay graduated from Furman University with a degree in Biology and then went on to complete her Master’s Degree in Marine Science at Jacksonville University.  She enjoys being able to help educate and inspire children and guests of all ages about the incredible world of marine science!

Appropriate for students in K – 12 grades.