Stories From The Field
Over the past two months or so, I had the privilege of hearing intimate tales from eleven members of Oberlin's AAPI community. I feel incredibly grateful for these individuals' openness and willingness to partake in this project. As such, I would like to thank Zack Lee, Leo Hidy, Anokha Venugopal, Mary Ann Montgomery, Kayla Kim, Phoebe McChesney, Noah Kawaguchi, Zoe Kuzbari, Ted Samuel, Ethan Guok, and Maya Das O'Toole. Without them, this project would not have been possible.
Below, you will find excerpts from our recorded conversations. Feel free to explore!
Leo Hidy
(he/him)
An outspoken foodie, Leo discusses the role of Chinese food- particularly 小笼包 (xiao long bao) or soup dumplings- in connecting him to his Chinese heritage.
Mary Ann Montgomery
(she/they)
For Mary Ann, her object of significance isn't so much a material item as it is a place- their family's rice farm back in the Philippines.
Anokha Venugopal
(she/her)
While Anokha recounts her pattern of misplacing various items, such as her wallet initially purchased in India, one additionally discussed object/place would certainly be difficult to misplace- an immense banyan tree that Anokha frequented with her mom and great aunt.
Ted Samuel
(he/him)
The notion of "balance" is central to this conversation with Senior Director of Oberlin Shansi, Ted Samuel, who reflects on his past experiences as a first generation Indian-American dancer navigating the traditional, South Indian performance art form known as karakattam.
Ethan Guok
(he/him)
Fashion and function meet cultural expression in this light-hearted conversation with Ethan Guok, as he discusses the significance of a cherished piece of clothing- a batik shirt from Singapore.
Zoe Kuzbari
(she/her)
A recent Oberlin graduate, Zoe reflects on the Filipino aspect of her mixed identity through a verbal tour of her tchotchke-filled childhood home- particularly an ornamental, glass lantern known as a parol.
Zack Lee
(he/him)
For Zack Lee, it isn't so much about the object itself (in his case, a red envelope), as it is the love and labor that the envelopes symbolize. Described as a "physical manifestation of luck", a red envelope has become a daily reminder tucked away discretely amongst stickers in his phone case.
The sticker of a hand cradling a fish was originally created and designed by talented Oberlin art student Dalia Tomikchil. To see more of their work, check out @tommycone10 on Instagram.
Phoebe McChesney
(she/her)
A pleasure to chat with, Phoebe discusses her views of the relationship between material culture, identity, and representation, describing her chosen objects of significance as "cultural anchors".
Noah Kawaguchi
(he/him)
A recent graduate of Oberlin's renowned conservatory, Noah delves into the role and significance of the shakuhachi flute in helping him explore his Japanese-American identity, drawing upon parallels between his own and his shakuhachi teacher's experiences and identities.
Maya Das O'Toole
(she/they)
In a conversation punctuated with bits of characteristic dry humor- "my mom's family has been here forever, she used to say they came over on the Mayflower but I think that that's not true"- Maya discusses the significance of her gold necklace, which rarely leaves their person.
Kayla Kim
A Ph.D. dissertation, written by Kayla's Grandfather in 1960 at Northwestern- and discovered decades later through Oberlin's interlibrary loan system- forms the crux of our conversation on trials, tribulations, and triumphs.
