Layla Johnson ‘28

Winter Term 2026

And/Or: A Filipino American Family Oral History

What does it mean to be Filipino and/or American?

Over Winter Term 2026, Layla conducted an oral history in her grandmother’s provincial hometown in the Philippines. Material documents from her Filipino family’s history were largely destroyed during World War II, but older generations still have stories to share. The United States takes a complicated role in her family’s memory: an imperial power, but also a second homeland. The stories, passed down, form a heritable, multifaceted identity. Layla’s final report will explore family memory and personal connections to “home” as a construct.