October 15, 2025, was a day many of us remembered for a long time — the book signing for senior Psychology major Bruna Silva De Oliveira, facilitated by Professor Rachelle Williams of the Humanities and Fine Arts Department.
It was around six o’clock in the evening when I walked into the Student Activity Center, making my way to the Multipurpose Room upstairs. One thing that was immediately apparent upon entering the area was the path of flowers and flower petals leading into the room. It gave off a magical feel, as if I were stepping into something sweet, but also something I couldn’t come back from.
When I finally stepped into the room, the lights were bright, and the overall colors of the decorations and refreshments resembled those of a sunflower — fitting for Bruna’s book, Trisha, The Flower, with its main character, Trisha, being a sunflower. About five minutes in, the audience grew quiet and the discussion began.
Bruna first spoke about her life growing up in Bahia, Brazil, after being asked to elaborate on a statement she had made about carrying her culture with her everywhere. She replied, “As a Brazilian, one thing I learned is, we are not just family, but we can meet more family members outside. You guys [the audience] are the family for me.”
When asked how she came to Talladega College, Bruna responded, “At first, I went to a school called Indian Hills Community College in Iowa as a Physical Therapy student. However, I realized that wasn’t what I wanted, so I switched to Psychology. I was also a soccer player, so I was recruited by Coach Noel to play for this team. I came to Talladega not only as a soccer player but as a student.”
She also addressed the premise of her character Trisha, being a sunflower. When asked, “Why a sunflower versus any other flower?” she replied, “Sunflowers were my favorite, first of all. Secondly, one thing I learned about sunflowers is that wherever they are, they do not face the dark — they face the sun — the light.”
As the conversation continued, Bruna was asked to share her favorite part of the book, which was a page where the sunflower, Trisha, was open and shining. The words on the page simply said, “She flourished.”
“This was my favorite part because Trisha found a way to have meaning in her life, even though she couldn’t play soccer — by flourishing,” Bruna said.
The book told the story of a sunflower named Trisha who wanted to be a soccer player because she watched all of her friends play. The issue was, Trisha was a flower. Feeling the pain of her inability to play her favorite game, she began to fall behind in caring for herself. However, after taking a deeper look within, she allowed herself to flourish as a regular flower.
Trisha, The Flower was named after Bruna’s late best friend, who had also attended Indian Hills Community College. Her friend’s spirit lived on through the inspiring words of Bruna Lorranie Silva De Oliveira. Through her story, Bruna wanted to show others that the light within them never died. She hoped to help people by spreading words of wisdom and positivity through her faith in God and her knowledge of mental health as a Psychology major.