Oral history interview with Yamini Rajan

Collection

Identifier: SR 12321

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This oral history interview with Yamini Rajan was conducted by Monica Salazar and Sankar Raman on February 20, 2019. The interview was recorded for The Immigrant Story, an organization that documents and archives the stories of immigrants and refugees in the United States.

In this interview, Rajan discusses her family background and early life in Delhi and Bangalore, India, including Diwali celebrations and being bullied at school. She talks about immigrating to the United States in 2012 and adjusting to life in Portland, Oregon, particularly at school. She discusses her social life and her family life. She speaks at length about her mental health during her teenage years, including a suicide attempt. She talks about her experience in high school, including her interest in art and making new friends. She discusses her college plans, and talks about doing public speaking about her mental health with ASHA International, A Source of Hope for All. She closes the interview by talking about her plans for the future.

Dates

2019 February 20

Creator

Rajan, Yamini, 2001- (Interviewee, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Joint copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society and The Immigrant Story. Use is allowed according to the following statement: In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/

Biographical note

Yamini Rajan was born in Mumbai, India, in 2001. Shortly afterward, her family moved to Delhi, and then to Bangalore. Her father worked for Nike, and in 2012, he was transferred to Portland, Oregon, and the family immigrated to the United States. Yamini Rajan participated as a storyteller with ASHA International, A Source of Hope for All, a non-profit organization that promotes mental-health education.

Extent

1.06 Gigabytes (1 audio file (WAV, 1 hr., 39 min., 30 sec.))

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Oral history interview with Yamini Rajan conducted by Monica Salazar and Sankar Raman on February 20, 2019, for The Immigrant Story. Rajan discusses her experience as an Indian immigrant in Oregon and speaks about her mental health during her teenage years.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Access to audio recording is provided online in OHS Digital Collections.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of The Immigrant Story, June 2021 (RL2021-057).

Publication note

An article about Yamini Rajan, "The Hard Way Can Be What Saves You" by Monica Salazar, was based on this interview and published on The Immigrant Story website at https://theimmigrantstory.org/hard-way/. A podcast by Caitlyn Dwyer was also based on this interview, and published at https://theimmigrantstory.org/the-hard-way-is-what-saves-you/