Tell Me A Story: Building Connection Across Generations

A Project of University of Massachusetts Public Health Sciences Program and Northampton Neighbors

Everyone has a story to share...

Public Health students at UMass Amherst paired up with Northampton Neighbors for this storytelling project.

We hope you enjoy their stories.

Click on the names below to hear their stories. To view more stories, click the tabs in the menu above.

You can see stories told by each cohort of students & Neighbors.

To listen to the full interviews, click here!

New Stories!

Luke's Story

Luke shares a story about his uncle Peter who is a Carthuegen Monk in Slovenia. He talks about his personal relationship with Peter and how Peter inspires him in his own life.

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Judy's Story

Jessica interviews Judy about her relationship with her mother, delving into Judy's past through letters exchanged between them from childhood to adulthood. As Judy revisits these correspondences, she navigates the highs and lows of their relationship, exploring the deep bond between mother and daughter.

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Brenda's Story

Brenda talks about her experience being a daughter to Brazilian immigrants and first-generation college student. Brenda describes the transformation in her perspective from once desperately wanting to fit into typical American standards, to now embracing her Brazilian roots and culture.

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Jesse's Story

Jesse talks about a time in his life where he was wrongfully accused of going to prison. He talks about how tough that was for him but how in some ways it proved to help him.

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Saddaf's Story

Saddaf talks about the role religion played in her life growing up and now, discovering it for herself, she talks about how she struggles with it in college. She touches upon navigating two identities being a first-generation Pakistani Muslim American.

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Megan's Story

Megan (20) tells a story about the most important person in her life, her grandfather “Poppy”. She talks about a road trip to his log cabin in Vermont, the many stops on the way, and their special relationship.

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Liya's Story

Liya speaks with Nina about her experiences attending a preparatory boarding school. Theydiscuss the effects that it had on her life reflecting on aspects of race, class, & socioeconomic status.

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Ngozi's Story

Ngozi talks to Tamar about traveling to Nigeria, dad's special pancakes, and how she would like to be remembered. She describes how her family's home in Nigeria is the most important place to her.

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Dennis' Story

Dennis describes the process he went through when he decided to become a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War. He discusses the impact of that decision and the mark it left on his life.

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Ralph's Story

When asked the difficult question of "How would you like to be remembered?" Ralph Lowen discusses the importance of love and his daughter and grandson.

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Ray's Story

In this clip, Ray discusses his journey to a love of theater and acting. He has now been an actor for over 50 years. Acting has taught him a great deal about life, and is a critical part of his identity.

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Betty's Story

Betty chronicles her challenging experiences at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also shares a message of hope and love.

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