After years of admiring the world of cartoons, aspiring film maker Aly Ferguson created a world of her own

Some people are born destined for greatness. Whether it be to climb Mt. Everest or write the great American novel, these people suddenly wake up and realize their purpose on this Earth. That’s exactly how narrative writing major Aly Ferguson, now 21, felt when she first started writing in elementary school.

“They had this event called the ‘Imagination Machine’ where kids at my elementary school would submit stories that they wrote,” recalls Ferguson. “I submitted mine and got picked, like, two or three times, and people would act out the stories on stage. It was really where my writing became a bigger deal to me, and this was a big deal at my elementary school.”

Ferguson, now a student in USC’s Narrative Studies program, was recently selected to have a story acted out as part of the Emerging American Voices production.

Her original screenplay is titled “Courage”. She visualizes it as an animated film, potentially developed by Pixar. The film is about a dog named Courage, the runt of the litter, who is born into a family of police dogs. After realizing that she isn’t going to make it as a police dog, Courage chooses a different path and sets out to become a service dog.

Emerging Americn Voices screenwriter Aly Furgeson. Use the Aurasma app (Free on Google Play / iTunes) and follow: LogosMagazine to unlock a bonus video by scanning this photo. Photo by: Vidal Espina, Illustration by: Emily Hermosillo

“The idea just came to me,” Ferguson said.  “No one in my family is an officer, no one I know is an officer either, but I knew I wanted to write about service animals.”

The idea of naming the dog Courage just came to her as well. It connotes safety, bravery and empowerment.

She created a story about a dog that wanted to make a difference, even though Courage’s initial destiny was something entirely different.
“My goal is to create content with a deeper social message,” Ferguson said.

She is striving to educate children on the values of service animals and to eliminate the stigmas that are used to label people with mental illnesses, blindness and other disabilities. “If I can teach one person something, that can make all the difference,” she said.
“Courage” is a  touching, original screenplay crafted by the young writer, whose biggest influences include “Hey Arnold,” “Rugrats,” “Inside Out,” “Toy Story” and “101 Dalmatians.”

“Everything Disney has touched is just gold to me,” she laughed, expressing her desire for Pixar to develop her dream.

Ferguson is hoping to get her start with an internship at Nickelodeon Studios in Burbank. She wants to move ahead with her mission to help enlighten young minds with her writing and imagination.

By putting any subject into a medium that everyone can understand and relate to, a storyteller can influence minds and hearts and perhaps help create a more just world.

“Education through entertainment is my motto,” Ferguson said.