While visiting the Museum of Idaho in her hometown of Idaho Falls, University of Utah student Sujata Gandhi noticed the local history exhibit didn’t include much about ethnic minorities.

She tried to find more at the library but wasn’t successful. To address this void, Gandhi asked her city council member, Jim Francis, for help. Francis, a former history teacher himself, connected her with the museum’s curator, Kristina Frandson.

“I approached her with the idea to do an oral history project,” Gandhi said. “I wanted us to be able to collect people’s stories in their own voices to avoid the risk of misrepresenting them.”

Frandson was excited about the project, but worried about its feasibility. Previously the museum had reached out to minority groups in the area while designing an exhibit and the response rate was low. Frandson feared Gandhi would face the same challenges.

“I am happy to say that my concerns were unfounded,” she said. “Once Sujata sets her sights on a goal, she fights to achieve it—this project is definitive proof.”

Originally the plan was to use volunteers to gather and transcribe 100 oral histories from Idaho residents who belong to ethnic minorities. However, the volunteer recruitment process did not go as planned, so Gandhi conducted all the interviews. A company was hired to transcribe them.

“Many of the people who shared their oral histories felt like their experiences were insignificant because they weren’t a prominent or famous figure in their community,” Gandhi said. “But it’s the exact opposite. The more average you consider your experience the more helpful it is for understanding what life is like for everyday people.”

In total, Gandhi interviewed 104 community members. Nearly all the conversations took place between October 2023 and February 2024. A senior at the U studying educational psychology, Gandhi said the project opened her eyes to the many forms research can take.

“I also learned the critical role community participation plays in research,” she said. “I want to continue pursuing the social sciences when I go to grad school and this experience helped me learn how I can incorporate more people into my scholarly work.”

Gandhi received important support for her project through an oral histories class taught by Matt Basso, an associate professor of history and gender studies. Basso hopes her story will encourage other students to think about histories they want to document.

The oral histories Gandhi gathered will be published through a database portal and will be accessible on the museum’s website later this year.

“The museum aims to share the history of Idaho Falls and the surrounding the region, but without everyone’s voice, the story is grossly incomplete,” Frandson said. “Sujata’s work, and all the individuals who participated in the project, have helped diversify the museum’s collection and provided a much-needed pool of information that will help us form a complete narrative when designing in-house exhibits.”

The Idaho Falls School District has approved a fourth-grade English language arts and social studies curriculum featuring information from the oral histories.

Todd Brown, the elementary curriculum coordinator for Idaho Falls School District 9, is excited about what the oral histories will bring to students.

“The oral histories will add a personal perspective on events and issues in Idaho,” Brown said. “While our current curriculum provides factual information regarding the history of Idaho, it does not provide the human element of lived experiences. I am hoping our students will understand that history is complicated and that to better understand events and actions of the past, it is helpful to consider multiple perspectives.”

For Gandhi’s part, she’s incredibly grateful for the community members who trusted her with their stories and made this project possible.

“This whole project has been so fulfilling,” Gandhi said. “I am so excited for students to be able to get a more comprehensive view of Eastern Idaho history.”