Impact Stories

New Americans Museum: Changing the Narrative on Immigration
The New Americans Museum (NAM) in San Diego, CA has embraced a critical responsibility in American history and culture: promoting understanding and interaction between immigrants and native-born Americans. In the era of Trump, this is …


Oscar Ramos: Changing the Way Schools Support Immigrant Students
Oscar Ramos is a teacher at Sherwood Elementary School in East Salinas, California. His story appears in VOW’s Chasing the Harvest: Migrant Workers in California Agriculture. Oscar’s students are often amazed when they hear his story—a …


Making History: How One Nurse is Changing the Story of Dementia
“These are topics that we don’t often explore in the context of traditional medicine.” Partner Spotlight: Jennifer Merrilees Jennifer is a clinical nurse specialist at the UCSF Memory and Aging Center (MAC), where she works …


Making History: How a “Problem Student” Became an Inspiring Teacher
Sandy Amos (left) and his student at June Jordan School for Equity “I wanted to be the sort of teacher that I didn’t have growing up.” TEACHER SPOTLIGHT: Sandy Amos Sandy teaches literature at June Jordan School …


Making History: How a Hurricane Katrina Survivor Helped One Student Find Her Purpose
“This was a turning point in my life.”  STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: Danielle Covington Danielle discovered her passion for socially engaged theatre in high school, while adapting the VOW book Voices from the Storm: The People of …


“Finding Where Our Souls Met”
We’re constantly inspired by the amazing oral history projects created by the students and teachers we work with. One of the most dynamic projects we’ve seen this year is Voices from the Storm. Students from Oakland Technical High …