Dr. Yong Gao, April 19, 2023
Scope and Contents
This collection contains recorded interviews with Boise citizens. Notable topics include Boise Bench history, Greenbelt history, Foothills Levy history, Boise Fire Department history, Boise Police Department history, and personal and political histories of former mayors and councilmembers.
Dates
- April 19, 2023
Extent
From the Collection: 32.52 Gigabytes
Language of Materials
From the Sub-Series: English
Abstract
Travis Jeffres conducted this remote interview on April 19, 2023, with Dr. Yong Gao as part of the Documenting Chinese History in Greater Boise through Oral History project. Dr. Gao is a professor in the Department of Kinesiology at Boise State University, teaching statistics and measurement and research methods. Dr. Gao explains how she decided to study sports medicine at Shanghai Sports University after initially working as a medical doctor with a focus in neurology in Shanghai. After completing a degree in Shanghai, Dr. Gao decided to immigrate to the United States to complete a Ph.D. at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champagne.
Born in Gansu province and raised in Xi’an and Hunan province, she discusses her family’s history and the cultural diversity of China. She speaks to the immigration patterns of Chinese people to the American West, and the diversification of Chinese immigrants that she has noticed in Boise over the past 15 years. Dr. Gao also describes her involvement with the Idaho Chinese Organization and the goals of the organization to foster community involvement. She discusses how the members of the Idaho Chinse Organization hope to pass down Chinese culture to the younger generations, and her hopes that educating others on culture can decrease instances of racism and xenophobia. Dr. Gao touches on her experiences living in Boise, and some of the discrimination she and her family have experienced especially in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Repository Details
Part of the Collections Repository