Ranked one of the most diverse community colleges in the United States by The Chronicle of Higher Education in recent years,  Montgomery College’s diverse student body is one of its most valuable resources. As a professor in the English Language for Academic Purposes (ELAP) program, I have the privilege of guiding students in the process of language acquisition, so they can achieve their academic and career goals. In my nearly two decades of teaching at MC,  I have read thousands of essays by students and have had the chance to learn their stories of resilience and persistence. I have read and listened to accounts by students who have experienced, first-hand, some of the most challenging situations imaginable: violence, war, displacement, political upheaval, the effects of global climate change, natural disasters, and health crises in places such as Afghanistan, Syria, Iran, Ukraine, Ethiopia, and Venezuela. Students from these countries and others have borne witness to some of the most historically significant events of our time, and they have come to Montgomery County, Maryland to rebuild their lives. Despite their many challenges, most of our students maintain their optimism, drive, creativity, and sense of humor. They reconstruct their lives here, and with skills that they gain at MC, go on to fulfilling careers in the health sciences, information technology, business, and other fields. They raise families, make a living, and contribute to their communities in countless ways. Many times, as I’ve read student essays or listened to presentations, I’ve thought, “If only more people knew these stories…” This project has allowed me to share some of these stories of resilience, strength, and hope with a larger audience.  

What is Oral History?

According to the Smithsonian Institution Archives, “Oral history is a technique for generating and preserving original, historically interesting information – primary source material – from personal recollections through planned recorded interviews.”  

How Might this Project Be Used?

I hope that people in the MC community and beyond, whether they are students, faculty, or staff members, will gain a greater understanding of the immigrant and refugee experience and perhaps a greater understanding of significant historical events. These interviews may be of interest to faculty in a variety of disciplines including English, English for Academic Purposes / ESOL / ESL, Communications Studies, History, Political Science, Sociology, Women’s and Gender Studies, and the Global Humanities. Students in these disciplines and others may be interested in conducting their own oral history interviews, perhaps by interviewing classmates or relatives. I hope that those who listen to these stories will be inspired by the participants’ endurance, creativity, and resilience. These are stories that may give hope to students who are struggling to reach their goals. Students who were born and raised in the United States may gain a greater understanding of, and empathy for, Montgomery County’s immigrant populations. 

To learn more about practicing oral history, I highly recommend exploring resources on “How to do Oral History” at the Smithsonian Institution Archives and reading the book Practicing Oral History with Immigrant Narrators by Carol McKirdy, part of the Practicing Oral History Series, edited by Nancy MacKay at San Jose State University.

About the language:  With the exception of one student, the students who participated in this project are all non-native speakers of English. The captions and transcripts reflect this, and there are some places where the transcription generation software could not detect certain words. When possible, I attempted to clarify meanings. Because I wanted the students’ voices to be authentic, minimal grammatical changes in the interview subtitles were made.

About the interviews: Participants were given the interview questions in advance. They were given a menu of questions to choose from, and they chose the topics they wanted to focus on and the topics they wanted to avoid. This is why the content of the interviews varies greatly. Some students wanted to meet more than once and spoke at length; others chose to have only one interview. As much as possible, I allowed students to take the lead when deciding how much time they wanted to spend talking with me. Two students, out of safety concerns for themselves and for extended family members, chose to use pseudonyms and to have the camera turned off during the interview. All students signed written release and consent of use forms.

A sincere thank you to Montgomery College for allowing me the time to work on this project. I am especially grateful to the amazing students in the ELAP program and to my supportive colleagues. 

To the students who participated in the project, I am truly grateful that you shared your stories with us. I hope that this project will be a tangible legacy that you can share with your extended families and with future generations.

A special shoutout to Chelzee Salera, an amazing website designer who can be reached at chelzee.salera@gmail.com; to Hanan Abu Salih, a very talented translator and editor, who can be reached at https://www.linkedin.com/in/hanan-abu-salih/; and to Michael Pisciotta, a creative video production specialist who can be reached at mpisciotta@sadlerroadmedia.com