In an effort to expand upon her interest in the Vietnam War, Grace Batycky ’27 recorded a podcast on the conflict as part of a Student Directed Project. Over the course of her four episode series, Grace gathers firsthand accounts, shares research, and analyzes how we engage with history.
Like many SDPs, the idea for the project came from an impactful experience outside of the walls of Beaver. “I went to Vietnam last March and it was amazing,” Grace shares. “It was the most unique place I’ve ever been.” Grace’s interest in the people, history, and culture of Vietnam continued long after returning home. Eager to learn more, Grace spent a term exploring topics related to the Vietnam war—including how the assassination of John F. Kennedy impacted the conflict—through her Advanced History: Independent Research course.
Nothing about Vietnam felt like the description of communism from the West. . . That contrast made me seriously rethink how much of what we hear is oversimplified or even plain wrong. The more I learned, the more I realized how complex Vietnam’s path to conflict really was.
Grace Batycky '27
Wanting to continue her inquiry into the Vietnam War through an SDP, Grace set out to create a podcast on the topic that combined her own experiences and research with firsthand accounts of the conflict. “I remembered that my family friend fought in the Vietnam War,” Grace mentions. “The more I learned in my Advanced Research class about the JFK assassination, the more I had questions that I wanted to ask them.” Grace conducted two interviews with sources on either side of the conflict within the United States–a veteran of the war and an activist within the anti-war movement. The interviews revealed the nuance of history, underscoring Grace’s original claim that perceptions can be warped by the oversimplification of history.
[Those] conversations made me realize how differently people can experience the same moment in history yet still have thoughtful reasons behind their choices. . . Together, their stories help us understand how complex the Vietnam War really was.
Grace Batycky '27