b'Theorizing the StoryStoriesarenotmerelybeginning-middle-end.Theyareconstructed, complex,relational,unfinished,andlived.Anarrative,especiallyalife narrative, is not a capturing of existence: instead, it is a temporary rendering of what is meaningful about experiences as they are understood in the present. These meanings may shift and impact ones sense of self. Narratives shape our lives (Sandelowski, 1991) and thus shape us, for our very identities as human beings are inextricably linked to the stories we tell of ourselves, both toourselvesandwithoneanother(Huberetal.,2013,p.214). Theyare integral to human existence, for we all live interconnected, storied lives that unfold over time. We are each in the midst of experience, and swimming in a sea of stories (Bruner, 1996, p. 147). As such, our stories not only stand witness to our lives; they also compose them. By approaching storytelling from atheoreticalframeoffluidity,connectedness,andbecoming,weenablea more open view of time, existence, and knowing. Through stories, we can begin to make sense of our lives.Seeking to study human experience through stories, narrative inquiry holisticallymergestheoryandpractice,andseesparticipantexperiences as complex, situated, and multifaceted. In this approach, a story becomes a gateway to and through experiences of ourselves and others (Polkinghorne, 1988). It requires us to look in as well as out, considering how our stories are constructed within a broader view of temporality, sociality, and place (Connelly & Clandinin, 2006). Visual-basednarrativeinquiryholdssignificantpromisefortheart classroom. Digital storytelling, in particular, is a newly emergent form generally comprisedofathreetofiveminutevideomadeupofimages,personal narration, and occasionally music (Kim, 2016). Typically done in community groups,participantscreateandinterprettheirnarratives.Withadolescent needs in mind, digital storytelling holds particular promise as it has been shown to increase agency, expand a sense of self, visualize meaning-making, help participants expand how they might frame their experiences and be cathartic (Gubrium, 2009).Students as ResearchersNarrative inquiry is a common practice in educational research, frequently usedtostudyteachers,classrooms,andtheirstories.However,narrative inquiry also houses potential for our students to be researchers of their own experiences, desires, and identities. What would it look like to create a lesson that prioritized guiding our students to deeply examine their lives as composed of and by stories? How would our approach to personal, visual storytelling shift when we show students that by being in the world, they are in the midst of an unfolding narrative? How can art enable them to consider new possibilities for their futures by investigating their realities through temporality, sociality, and place? By promoting our students as autobiographical researchers for their 48TRENDS 2025'