Search Interviews

Jill Schmidt (68) interviews her brother, John "Jack" Badke (76) about his experiences in the Vietnam War.

Jill van Haaften, 55, was interviewed by her daughter, 15, on the story of her first love. She tells the lovely story of how she fell in love with her first husband and all of the kind and caring things...

Veronica shares her story, from running away from an abusive mother and relying on a cruel man to finding help and working toward a nursing degree.

In 1985, every parent's nightmare occurred in a little house in Willow Springs, Illinois. Nineteen year old James Gallagher dropped out of his local community college to start a tent company. Now, James is fifty two and just sold his...

Alexander locked his phone in a rental car after moving into his new apartment in Chicago for College. After going store to store asking for help, a man helped him call a tow truck. After waiting alone for an hour,...

Athena Miller, 8th grade, interviews her grandfather, Tom Zemrowski ("Pops"), about how he met her late grandmother ("Gramzie") at Purdue University in 1965. Other interesting glimpses of his past are revealed as well. Recorded during Thanksgiving 2021.

Aidan Bank (14) talks with his mother, Elysa Jimenez (33) about her life being a young mother and how she overcame challenges.

My Grandfather, John Grey, has had an interesting upbringing moving from place to place with his family. He was raised as a young child in Chicago Illinois, and later moved to Dallas Texas with his family. In this interview, Me...

One Small Step conversation partners Hannah Mitchell [no age given] and Arlene El-Amin [no age given] discuss growing up in Montreal and Chicago. They also discuss their Unitarian and Muslim beliefs and the ways that their beliefs are similar.

Christopher "Chris" Conkell (33) speaks with father, William "Bill" Conkell (74), about his life as a Secret Service agent and health challenges.

Growing up in NYC has had a big influence on my mother. Her experiences have made her who she is, and shaped her perspective on life. This has made up my childhood, and will continue to effect and influence who...

In this interview between Tylah Wells (17) and her mentor Darius Parker (27) taken on June 1, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois, Darius speaks of memorable childhood events and gives uplifting messages for those who are struggling. Darius speaks of life...

Loyola University Chicago MSW student Kate Dawson talks with her best friend of many years, Chloe Kilano, about growing up with two immigrant parents from Iran. The two reflect on Chloe's experience of being a first-generation college student while challenging...

Jan Carlton (83) speaks to her step-granddaughter Alyssa Ahnell (17) about having big dreams, love, traveling, cooking, and all the people that she has met along the way. EDIT: Jan wanted to add how her final husband, Warren, went on...

Elie interviews her mom about her childhood, her honest opinions of her family, and her hopes for the future.

Bry Lee (21) and Sihun Lee (58) sparks more intimate conversations about life and culture in the US and South Korea. Chit chats here and there and in between.

Talking about college and jobs

I interviewed Christine DeMordaunt (my mom) and she is always been a person I look up to and want to know more about her work experience and about her mom, whom I never got to meet. Christine shares life lessons...

Me and my grandma (Mimi) talk about her life and her happiest memories

One Small Step conversation partners Jill White (52) and Holly [No Name Give] (55) exchange their lived experiences and find many parallels. They relate as mothers over having children struggling on social media, considering online learning, and being independent thinkers.

Audrey Wilke interviews Marcia Scherr, her grandmother, about her life and family growing up. This interview occurred on December 2, 2017 in Evergreen Park, Illinois. Marcia Scherr grew up in Chicago, Illinois and she recounts the details of her childhood...

One Small Step conversation partners Matthew Kitchen (27) and Reyna Estrada (24) discuss the intersection of religious and queer identity and shared experiences of partnership and marriage.

Laura’s decisions and opportunities with their affect on her life and her opinions on certain lifestyles based on time and music.

The life and times of a wonderful, Greek Yaya.

Beverly Johannes talks about how the Polio Epidemic affected her personally.