Editor’s note: Research, community service, internships and study abroad are part of the summer for University of Delaware students. Follow them in action in our series of profiles and stories, which will be collected on the Driven to Discover website: https://www.udel.edu/home/driven-to-discover/

Dalia Handelman, a rising sophomore from Bethesda, Maryland, is majoring in communication and is part of UD's World Scholars program. She is one of more than 500 students involved in research projects at UD this summer.

Q. What are you studying this summer?

Handelman: I am conducting an oral history project under the direction of Dr. Roger Horowitz, who teaches history and Jewish Studies at UD. I am working in Wilmington, Delaware, working with prominent senior citizens in the Jewish community there.

Q. What inspired this project and what interests you most about it?

Handelman: This topic is interesting for many reasons. I have a specific interest in Jewish history and culture and having the opportunity to hear from people who are around 100 years old about their life experiences has been incredible for me. Not only am I learning about their lives as Jews, but also generally learning about various life lessons and advice they have. 

Q. What is a typical day like?

Handelman: On a typical day, I would meet with an interviewee (usually at their home), conduct an hour- to two-hour-long interview, write a summary and bio on the interview and head to the Jewish Historical Society to start learning and researching more about my next interviewee. I give all of the recordings and write-ups to the Jewish Historical Society. Then I make a few phone calls to liaisons (members of the Jewish Historical Society or members of the Jewish community) to learn more about my interviewee. A lot of my job is thinking ahead so I’m always planning and learning for my next interview even when I have just finished one.

Q. What hurdles have you had to overcome while doing this work?

Handelman: One hurdle I've had to overcome was learning what oral history really meant. I knew what interviewing was and why it was so important. But something that's actually really hard to do during my interviews is to not respond to what the interviewee said with something from my own life. An interview can and should feel as comfortable as a casual conversation, however, the interviewer says nothing about themselves. It's a lot harder to do than someone might think because I am there to connect with these people and when they say something that I connect with I immediately want to respond with how I just connected to them. At the top of each of my interview agendas, I have typed this quote: "Find out what these people have to say, you are not writing the story.” My professor (Roger Horowitz) told me that at the beginning of the summer when he was teaching me some basic oral history do's and don'ts.