The Florida Historical Society Oral History Project is an effort to continue diversifying the archival collections at our Library of Florida History by creating a digital and physical archive of oral histories, focusing on diverse and typically underserved communities in our state. These interviews preserve personal recollections, experiences, and perspectives on past events. These interviews capture the voices and memories of individuals who lived through significant historical periods, contributing to a richer understanding of the past.
Shally Wong was born in Kowloon, Hong Kong, in 1969. She recounted her upbringing, particularly growing up in a single-mother household as the youngest of four. She mentioned how the Cultural Revolution in China affected her family, particularly her father’s absence during her early years. She recalled the financial difficulties her family faced during her formative years, highlighting how her older sister had to work at an early age to support...
Lai Fai “Anne” Tsoi was born in Hong Kong in 1958. Anne recollected memories of her upbringing, particularly growing up in a single-mother household. As the eldest child, Anne understood that she needed to fill in the vacancy of her father, who was held in a concentration camp by the Chinese government, and began working immediately after finishing high school to support her family. Continued financial difficulties and improved economic...
Adrianna Tran was born in Pine Hills, Florida, in 1998. She recalled memories of her upbringing, particularly the stories she learned about her family’s Vietnamese heritage. Her maternal grandparents left Vietnam with their four children in 1985, experiencing the aftermath of the fall of Saigon in 1975. Additionally, Adrianna recounted her schooling experience across Central Florida and how she navigated her ethnic differences during this time...
Kannan Srinivasan was born in Madras, India, in 1966. Kannan recalled stories that his family passed down about India’s independence movement in 1947, particularly how his father’s participation and how Mahatma Gandhi encouraged him not to abandon his studies for the fight for freedom. Inspired by his father’s engineering career, Kannan studied electrical engineering at the Regional Engineering College, Tiruchirappalli, India. Familial...
Hana Son was born in Grozny, Chechnya, Russia, in 1986. Hana recounted her upbringing, particularly how the increasingly violent circumstances in Chechnya at the turn of the 1990s prompted her father to move the entire family to Kazakhstan. Hana explained her Koryo-Saram heritage and how it presented unique opportunities and challenges in all phases of her life, whether growing up in Kazakhstan or living in Orlando. Hana studied international...
George Rodón was born in Santiago, Cuba, in 1947. George recounted his upbringing in Santiago, particularly the joyous mood once Fidel Castro took control of the island from the longstanding right-wing dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista. George explained how the elation quickly soured, prompting his family to flee Cuba on November 13, 1960, almost two years into the Castro regime. After a few months in Miami, George and his family moved to Ohio...
Orit Reuben was born in Israel in 1966. She recounted her upbringing in Israel during the 1970s, from visiting her grandparents in their kibbutz to living in a low-middle-class neighborhood. She specifically recollected memories about experiencing the Yom Kippur War in 1973. Her dad served in the Israeli military and moved the entire family to the United States in 1979 as part of his role in the military. Orit recalled the joy and struggles she...
Desmond A. Reid was born in 1945 and spent the first twenty years of his life in Jamaica. He recounted his formative years in Jamaica, particularly his mother’s influence. He immigrated to the New York City in 1965, printing and selling books primarily on Black literature and heritage. Desmond moved to Orlando in 2009, in which he shifted his bookselling approach from a mainly economic endeavor to a more philanthropic pursuit for the Black...
Mina Raky was born in Cairo, Egypt, in 1981. Mina recounted his upbringing in Cairo, specifically the challenges he faced as a religious minority practicing Christianity in a Muslim-majority country. His mom recognized his musical talents at an early age, and he attended the Conservatoire to learn how to play the piano professionally. Mina deepened his musical knowledge once he graduated from Helwan University in Cairo with a bachelor’s in Music...
Matthew Peddie was born in Saskatoon, Canada, in 1976. At around a year old, Matthew and his family moved to Christchurch, New Zealand, after a brief stint in England from Canada. Matthew recollected memories of his upbringing in New Zealand, particularly enjoying the various outdoor activities offered by Christchurch's diverse landscape. Matthew attended the University of Canterbury, majoring in English and French. After his undergraduate...
Khalid Muneer was born in Pakistan in 1951. He recalled his earliest years in Pakistan, particularly the stories his family passed down about the deadly Partition that divided India and Pakistan in 1947. Khalid emphasized how his turbulent migrant experience from India to England motivated him to study a career that ensured financial security and allowed him to travel worldwide. Thus, Khalid worked for an international banking company for...
Maria de las Mercedes Nunez-Salgado was born on June 12, 1972, and grew up in Madrid, Spain. In addition to recounting her time living in Spain and Europe more broadly, Maria mainly discussed her immigrant experience in the United States. Maria spent most of her time in Philadelphia, as she recently (2020) moved to Orlando for work reasons. Maria reflected on her half a decade living in Orlando, sharing her observations and perspectives about the...
Claudia Menezes was born in Belém, Pará, Brazil, in 1966. She briefly recounted her experiences growing up in Belém, particularly the inspiration she drew from her mother. Claudia initially majored in history, and explained why she selected that field of study and how it informed her approach to tourism, the career she ended up graduating from and working in. She recalled the business she and her sister opened while in college in Brazil. In 1996...
Jasbir Mehta was born in India in 1955. She recounted her upbringing in India, particularly how her family moved around the country frequently, as her father worked for the government. Jasbir also remembered how the transition from colonialism to post-colonial independence affected her early life and family. She particularly recalled stories her family passed down about the 1947 Partition, and how her father “lost everything.” In 1976, Jasbir...
Ania Martynuk was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 2006. A daughter of Ukrainian immigrants, Ania recounted her young life experience, especially navigating her dual identity as a Ukrainian and American living in Florida. She remembered her visit to Ukraine when she was ten years old. She recalled her childhood growing up in Palm Coast, Florida, all through her UCF collegiate experience (at the time of the recording). Ania’s mom, Roksolana Cisyk...
Akshay Manohar was born in New York City in 1986. Only roughly a year old, his family moved to Bombay, India, where Akshay spent most of his formative years. He particularly recollected memories of attending a boarding school in India. After completing the boarding school in 1999, Akshay returned to the United States, specifically Gaithersburg, Maryland, to finish high school. He recounted the various cultural shocks he experienced upon returning...
Christine Malamanig Berk was born in Tamuning, Guam, in 1973. Christine briefly recollected fond memories of her early upbringing on the island before her family moved to California when she turned five years old. Christine cited familial trends and improved opportunities in the contiguous United States as reasons they left Guam. She recounted the cultural shock she experienced once she settled in California, and the various ways in which her...
Paulina Lu was born in Shanghai, China, in 1971. She recounted memories of her upbringing, particularly growing up in the hospital as her parents worked as physicians. At the age of eleven, the state-sponsored Chinese Ballet Society selected Paulina to attend the Shanghai Dance School, a boarding school in which students professionalize in ballet dancing. Paulina recalled her boarding school experience and what she learned about dance and Chinese...
Gauen Lee was born in Cheongju, South Korea, in 2001. She recollected memories of her upbringing, particularly her fascination with living abroad and her frustration with adhering to cultural norms, such as respecting elders. The combination of these factors prompted her to leave South Korea and emigrate to Florida in 2018 through a student exchange program. She recounted several cultural shocks she experienced upon arriving in Spring Hills...
Daniel Lam was born in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1990. Daniel recounted his upbringing, particularly the cultural and ethnic challenges he faced growing up as a Cambodian American, as well as stories he learned from his family as refugees from the Khmer Rouge, Pol Pot Cambodian killings. Around 2005, Daniel and his family moved to Palm Coast, Florida, as his parents lost their jobs when Chinese and Mexican corporations acquired and relocated...
Henry Kwan was born in Winter Park, Florida, in 1988. His parents fled China in the early 1980s. Henry recollected stories his grandmother told about China’s authoritarian regime, particularly memories about Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution in the 1960s and 1970s. In addition to seeking economic prosperity, these conditions prompted Henry’s grandmother and parents to emigrate to the US during the early 1980s. His grandmother deeply influenced...
Brittney Keophoxay-Lam was born in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, in 1993. She recollected stories that her family had passed down about their experiences in Laos, particularly how the Laotian Civil War, which lasted from the 1950s to the 1970s, affected them. Her father unofficially served in the Royal Lao Army and survived a harrowing incident in which he witnessed the death of his brothers, leaving him in a refugee camp in Nong Khai, Thailand...
Asawin “AJ” Jockkeaw was born in Bangkok, Thailand, in 1970. AJ recollected memories of his formative years, particularly the linguistic challenges he faced when he and his family moved from Bangkok to Northern Thailand. At the age of eighteen, AJ worked as a professional musician, citing financial difficulties as the primary reason for performing in clubs and earning money instead of pursuing further education after high school. Continued...
Melissa Jest was born on September 20, 1964, in Savannah, Georgia, but lived her childhood in Harlem, New York. She recounted her mixed experience growing up in Harlem, remembering how uplifting it felt being around a historically significant Black enclave, but also the pain of seeing her mother struggling to support two young children as a single parent. She briefly recalled her perspective on the 1976 Bicentennial, noting the lack of Black...
Melvin “Mel” Jenner was born in Goodrich, North Dakota, in 1922. His family moved to Michigan when Mel turned four years old, and he recounted his upbringing. A fascination with airplanes led Mel to join the Michigan International Guard during high school. After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the federal government mobilized the National Guard, and Mel enlisted in the service. He recalled his military service in World War...