“I think one of the interesting things about reflecting on your heritage is hearing the stories of where your parents came from, and their parents. For me, what struck me the most about both my maternal and paternal grandparents is that they were a part of that great generation during World War II. On my mom’s side, my grandfather was a soldier in the Philippines during World War II and served. He went through some pretty difficult times including the Bataan Death March. He served with distinction there and was looked upon very highly by the people in his town. My mom talked about him a lot, about how he influenced her. That, in turn, has influenced me even though I never met him. I like to think about the stories about my grandparents because it’s part of my story, but it’s part of the American story too. Learning that history is important.
“I remember going to the Smithsonian Museum with my grandparents on my dad’s side, and seeing exhibits about segregation in the South, and realizing that they had that experience. It’s interesting reflecting on being an immigrant, being related to them, and hearing about the American experience from their perspective. These days, particularly now with all of our social justice issues — when I look at where we are now, I reflect on where we were in the past. What has changed? What hasn’t changed? Are we progressing? I think that we are in some ways, but in other ways, not as much as we think we have.”
— Daphne Dador Huber, Congressional Liaison, NASA Headquarters
Image Credit: NASA / Aubrey Gemignani
Interviewer: NASA / Thalia Patrinos