AN IHH-GUIDED ORAL HISTORY

TELL YOUR STORY:
FIRST-GENERATION IMMIGRANTS

If you are a first-generation immigrant, this page is for you.

The Immigrant Hall of Honor invites you to share your immigration story through an IHH-guided oral history—a virtual interview designed to help you tell the story of your journey to the United States and the life you built here.

We’ve created 10 questions based on the basic building blocks of storytelling: who, what, when, where and how. Together, they explore where you came from, what brought you to the United States, what you experienced along the way, and how your life changed after you arrived.

Prefer a blank canvas? We also offer freeform story submission for those who would rather start with a blank page and tell their story without guided questions.

WHY YOUR STORY MATTERS

WE WANT TO LEARN FROM YOU

The Immigrant Hall of Honor collects stories from immigrants representing cultures and communities from around the world. We know that we can’t understand every aspect of the immigrant experience—and there will be things we don’t know or won’t understand without your help.

You are the authority on your own experience. Your participation helps us create a richer, more inclusive archive and gives the public an opportunity to learn about the many different ways people have made a life in America.

We’re grateful for the opportunity to listen, learn, and preserve your story with the care it deserves.

READY TO SHARE YOUR STORY?

YOUR STORY, YOUR WAY

You don’t have to answer every question

This is a guided oral history—not a test or an application. The questions are simply prompts to help you tell the parts of your story that are meaningful to you. Only answer the questions that speak to you.

To begin, we’ll ask for some basic information, including your name and contact information, your date of arrival in the United States, where you first arrived, and where you eventually settled. The remaining questions are optional.

Write it or record it

You can type your responses directly into the form, or you can record your answers and submit audio files instead. You can answer several questions in one recording or submit multiple shorter recordings.

Don’t worry about making your responses polished. We’re interested in hearing your story in your own voice.

You are also welcome to tell your story in the language in which you are most comfortable. When possible, the Immigrant Hall of Honor will work to have stories submitted in other languages translated into English for our archives.

Take your time

You don’t have to complete this form in one sitting. Use the “Save and Continue” option at the bottom of the form to save your progress and return to it later.

You get the final say

Once you submit your responses, one of our professional storytellers will review your story and shape your responses into a 500–1,000-word narrative. This process may take up to two weeks.

We’ll send the draft to the email address you provided when you submitted the form for review. You are in control of the final story. Add to it, take something out, correct anything that doesn’t feel right, or make any other changes you’d like. We’ll work with you until you’re comfortable with the story and ready to give your final approval for publication.

COMPLETE THE FORM

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Basic Information

Name(Required)
First names only and pseudonyms are acceptable. If using a pseudonym, please write ‘(pseudonym)’ after the name. You may also enter ‘Anonymous.’
Tell us about the places that became part of your immigration journey. If you know why you or your family chose those places, we’d love to hear about it. You might share what drew you there, whether you had family or friends nearby, or whether work, school, community, climate or other circumstances influenced the decision. You can also tell us what you liked—or didn’t like—about the places where you lived.
Please enter the name of the person who encouraged you to connect with us so we can thank them for the referral.

Consent

Consent to share your story and photos(Required)
Clear Signature

Storytelling Prompts

Every immigration story is different. You may have come because of war, political oppression, persecution, economic hardship or the loss of your home. You may have come seeking education, work, opportunity, family or a different future. Perhaps you chose to come, had little choice but to leave or experienced a combination of circumstances. Tell us what brought you to the United States and what was happening in your life, your family or your home country at the time.
Think about the moments, experiences, people or places you remember most vividly. Your journey may have included difficult goodbyes, long or uncertain travels, unexpected challenges, acts of kindness, moments of excitement or experiences that changed the way you saw yourself or the world. You might remember a particular conversation, journey, object, photograph, meal, song, person or place. Tell us about the moments that have stayed with you and why they are meaningful to you.
Think back to when you first arrived. What surprised, excited, confused, delighted or disappointed you? You might remember the people you encountered, the landscape, food, language, customs, buildings, sounds, weather or everyday life. Tell us what felt familiar or unfamiliar, and what you noticed about the United States that you hadn’t expected.
Building a new life can bring challenges both large and small. You might have faced difficulties with language, work, education, housing, finances, immigration or legal processes, transportation, culture, discrimination or being separated from family and friends. You may also have encountered challenges we haven’t listed here. Tell us about the obstacles you faced, how they affected you and—if you’d like—how you navigated or overcame them.
If you have come to feel at home in the United States, when did that begin? If you have not, you can tell us about that experience instead. You might describe feeling that you left one home behind, creating a new sense of home, living between two places or still finding your sense of belonging.
Your accomplishments might include your work or career, education, business or entrepreneurship, contributions to your community, creative or artistic work, scientific or technical achievements, raising a family or participation in sports. Think broadly about what you have built, created, contributed, learned or made possible for yourself or others. For artists and other creatives, this is also a place to tell us about work inspired by your immigration experience, heritage, culture, language, family history, or journey to the United States. You might share a painting, song, book, film, performance, recipe, photograph, craft, or other creative work. And if you don’t yet feel that you have accomplished what you hoped to—or if your greatest accomplishments are still ahead of you—we’d like to hear about that, too. What are you working toward? What do you hope to create, achieve, build or contribute in the future?
Think about the traditions and customs that have stayed with you since you arrived. Maybe it’s a family recipe, a language you speak at home, a holiday you celebrate, music you listen to or a tradition you’ve passed on to your children. What have you kept alive and why does it matter to you?
Every immigration story offers a different perspective on what it means to leave one place and build a life in another. What would you like people to understand, remember, question or appreciate after hearing your story? You might want to share a lesson you learned, challenge a common assumption, offer a different perspective on immigration, celebrate your heritage or community or simply help others better understand an experience they may not have lived themselves.
These questions can’t capture everything that makes up a life. Is there something about your immigration story, your life in the United States, your family, your heritage or your experiences that you would like us to know? Tell us anything we didn’t ask about that feels important to your story. We’d also like to hear what you think of these questions. Is there a question you wish we had asked? Is there something you think we should change, add, or approach differently? Your feedback will help us make this experience better for future storytellers.

Supporting Materials

Drop files here or
Accepted file types: jpg, png, pdf, Max. file size: 5 MB, Max. files: 6.
    Consider sharing a photo of yourself, family or loved ones, an object that traveled with you, places that were meaningful along your journey, or places you left behind. You might also share photographs of artwork, creative or business projects you have made in the United States, or anything else that helps tell your story. Only share images you are comfortable including, and please make sure you have permission to share photographs of other people, especially children.
    Drop files here or
    Accepted file types: mp3, m4a, Max. file size: 25 MB, Max. files: 5.
      Prefer to speak rather than type? You can record your responses and upload your audio here. You may answer several questions in one recording or submit multiple shorter recordings.

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