Post written by Madeleine Morgan, recipient of the 2026 Undergraduate CDIL Fellowship

This summer, I had the privilege of being selected as the undergraduate researcher for the Center of Undergraduate Research at the University of Idaho Library. To say I was excited would be an understatement; I had been eager to forge my own research path. However, nothing could have prepared me for the challenges I would face along the way, challenges that, in the end, made the journey well worthwhile.

My project began with several focuses. The first was to explore the Argonaut archives to understand the perspectives of University of Idaho international students during the World War II era. Why this era, you might ask? As a lover of history, I am fascinated by human resilience during difficult times. As the project developed, I also turned my attention to the internment camps of the Pacific Northwest.

One camp I studied closely was the Minidoka Internment Camp. Along the way, I also had the privilege of reading the graphic novel Displacement by Kiku Hughes. To say it moved me would be an understatement; had I not been on a plane bound for Las Vegas, I would have started bawling. Hughes’s deeply personal storytelling showed me what I wanted my own project to have: that same level of personal detail. It also reminded me why this project mattered to me in the first place.

My family’s history is rooted in fleeing persecution. On May 10, 1940, Germany invaded France, where my grandfather and his family were living at the time. My grandfather was in his early teens when his family boarded the last boat from Bordeaux to England. This history is ultimately why this project matters so much to me. People’s stories must be heard during times of hardship, and this is even more important for groups whose voices are too often marginalized.

And so my quest began: not just to gather research, but to curate the most compelling pieces of information about students’ lives and perspectives during this period of the University’s history. What was life like for students then? How did they carry on when so many of their classmates were drafted, and many never came home?

As I dug deeper into the articles available through the online archives, I began to notice patterns. Many international students lost opportunities they had worked hard to gain, because in times of fear, prejudice often grows strong.

In the end, I hope this collection allows everyone who encounters it to connect with a piece of their own past and story. I would like to thank everyone who helped me throughout this journey, including the generous donors who made this project possible.