Alex Ollerdessen Wood

As a historian, I relish the process of researching and seeking out many kinds of historical sources. In the writing process, I enjoy using historical imagination to craft a narrative and fill in the missing pieces to the puzzle. In my research and writing projects, I have used the lens of family history. I worked with the Shadelands Ranch Museum in Walnut Creek, CA to research and write the family histories of early twentieth-century Japanese American farmworkers in California. My thesis project focuses on my family history and covers the history of the International Settlement in Shanghai, China, and specifically the experiences of mixed-race individuals in a cosmopolitan yet racially segregated culture. These projects have truly improved my research and writing abilities. I have found that using ancestral history shows how much can be learned from the experiences of everyday people. The family history of Japanese American farmworkers broadened the perspectives presented at the Shadelands Ranch Museum. Tracking a family’s history through multiple generations reveals how history can foster a sense of community and identity. In this process, I have developed my skills as a historian, researcher, and writer.