Comments by students at Harding High School about interviewing their elderly family members and participating in our book project:

I was happy to be able to connect with my grandpa and his gift of being a Qeej (traditional Hmong musical instrument) player. It was an honor to have my work published into a book. .-Kaitlynn Yang

I got to learn a lot about my grandma, things I never knew before. I realize how hard her life and journey were. I also have gotten closer to my grandma as I never get to see her at all. We gain a lot of knowledge from our elders’ past and learn to appreciate the life we have now because of their struggles. – Chee

When we were writing our paj huam (traditional Hmong poem), it was difficult and took a lot of time, but after finishing I learned that it can be cathartic and honoring experience to write one.- Thengti Yang

I really enjoyed making my paj huam because I liked how we were able to make a book telling the life of refugees. I also liked how I was able to talk to my dad about his youth and his life leading to the present.  - Gao Vang

I learned that people my age have it better than they did (people who went through the war). As interviewing my grandfather, I got to know him better, especially because I would have never known his story. This project is a good way to reconnect with elders. It makes us realize a lot, the many reasons our parents yell at us so much to be good people. – Beljahnay   

I realized that my people have worked hard to get to where they are today. It has made me appreciate my ethnicity and culture more. – Lori

I was able to learn about how they felt and their perspectives of the time. I was able to get deeper into their story and have a better understanding of how things were. It’s a good way for the young generations to reconnect with the elders. By doing this, they can get a better knowledge of their history than from learning in class. – Salina

One thing that I take away from the interview that I did through Minors was that Hmong people are a very brave group of people, for a group of people this small. I realized how lucky we all are to be here today. I did grow closer to my grandma. I think it’s really important for our younger generation to gain a lot of history and gratitude about our past and gain motivation to move our people forward. – Lee

I learned refugee camps are tougher than it seems. I realized that Hmong are truly glad to be in America.  – Geng