From the Farewell Class of 2002 edition of the High School paper (her [well-chosen] username substituted for obvious reasons), and still not off-topic....
ProfStokes Brings New Twist to Campfire Stories
ProfStokes plans on pursuing an unorthodox yet intriguing career into the paranormal and supernatural phenomenon.
Ghostly apparition may scare some,
but they are the future of ProfStokes.
ProfStokes believes in ghosts. Not only is the _HS salutatorian willing to admit her faith in the paranormal, she is actually planning to pursue a career as a paranormal psychologist.
ProfStokes' interest in the supernatural began as a elementary school student, when she read a book called "World's Most Spine Tingling True Ghost Stories."
She was intrigued by the true tales, and began to explore other documentation of supernatural phenomenon. The more she read, the more she became convinced of the validity of reports of paranormal beings.
She looks forward to working in a paranormal research facility (think X-Files or Ghostbusters), which generally emphasize psychic ability and the study of paranormal beings.
ProfStokes' favorite parts of high school were hanging out with friends, and relaxing and talking at nutrition and lunch. She cautions underclassmen about getting too wrapped up in academics.
"I'd like to see a group perhaps similar to Impact, like an Overachievers Anonymous, that deals with their peers and learn coping strategies. I could have had so much more fun in high school if I hadn't been so wrapped up in academics."
ProfStokes also nurtures an interest in language, especially French. She cites her French class as her favorite course in high school, a place where she could relax after torturous geometry.
ProfStokes would like to expand her language knowledge, and possibly study Russian and Portuguese. ProfStokes accrued enough high school credits to graduate a semester early and retain her position as salutatorian, a seemingly impossible feat.
She now attends ___ College, which allows her more free time to focus on her hobby, writing fiction. She has indulged in her two passions, reading and writing, since she was a child. Her favorite genre is horror, and in five years she would like to be supporting herself by selling novels.
When ProfStokes isn't absorbing stories of the paranormal or weaving tales of her own, she is watching "Dark Shadows," a supernatural soap opera of the 1960s.
She also participates in discussions surrounding this cultural milestone online, and was recently invited to write for the Dark Shadows Virtual Series, a longstanding writing club run by fans of the show.
When asked about her favorite ghost story, ProfStokes tells a haunting tale of an African witch doctor that strangled natives of his village. When he dies after being struck by lightening (it severs his hands), mysterious murders begin in the village.
The victims are strangled, but the extent of their injuries requires superhuman strength. Eyewitness accounts name the culprit, a tree that strangles its victims with its branches.
The tree is cut down, and inside the trunk, the skeletal remains of the hands of the witch doctor are found.
The skill with which ProfStokes tells this tale sends chills up the spines of the listeners. This literary genius is fascinating and talented, and she just might convince you that ghosts are real.
BY KATIE TAYLOR
STAFF WRITER
