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I Keep History Alive 

In her award-winning podcast, Ameya Desai wants to make sure no one’s story is forgotten. 

January 19, 2026
By Cailin Loesch

As You Read, Think About: How does Ameya’s podcast help keep history alive?

Courtesy of the Desai family

Ameya Desai sat in front of a microphone with her headphones on. Her notes lay on the desk in front of her. It was 2024. Ameya was about to record her first podcast in her home studio in San Jose, California.

On the phone, Ameya’s grandfather Kishor Desai shared a painful story. In 1972, he was forced to leave his home in Uganda, a country in East Africa. The country’s president had ordered all Asian people to leave, giving them only 90 days to find new homes.

Ameya’s dad teared up while listening to his father speak. Through her podcast, Ameya was uncovering details of their family history that even he had never heard.

Ameya’s podcast about her family’s forced migration to the U.S. made a big impact. In 2024, it was one of five fourth-grade winners in the NPR (National Public Radio) Student Podcast Challenge. The win encouraged Ameya to create more episodes and turn the project into a full series.

“More people were willing to share their experiences,” Ameya says. “There’s history behind them that’s important, but it’s almost forgotten.”

The 11-year-old’s podcast is called Far From Home: Stories of Forced Migration. Ameya wants to share people’s stories before they fade away.

“I’m honored that they are able to get out there and reach a bigger audience,” she says.

Prisoners In Their Own Country
Watch a video to learn about American internment camps during WWII.

Far From Home

After her first episode was released, Ameya found her next story right next door. Her neighbor’s grandmother, Linda Horikawa, had lived on a farm in Cupertino, California, until she was 4. But in 1942, Horikawa and her family were among tens of thousands of Japanese Americans forced into prison camps (see “Prisoners at Home”).

Ameya spent hours preparing for her interview. She visited a museum to learn more. Then she carefully chose questions to ask Horikawa. Ameya was surprised to learn about the prison camps.

“It happened right here in my home state,” Ameya says. “There’s history that we’re not even learning about in school.”

Courtesy of the Desai family 

Ameya Desai (right) interviewed Linda Horikawa about her time in a prison camp.

History Lives On

Ameya’s hard work paid off! In the fall of 2025, her interview won top prize in the middle school category of NPR’s Student Podcast Challenge. The fifth-grader is the contest’s first two-time champ. Ameya, who has always loved to read and write, says journalism is important.

“I see how it has a big impact on the world,” she says. “Sharing stories is something that needs to be done.”

For future episodes, Ameya plans to continue focusing on the stories of older generations. And she hopes we’ll continue to learn from people like her grandfather and Horikawa.

“Their courage to tell me about their journeys gives me inspiration,” Ameya says. “And I feel like it’s up to us to keep those stories moving.”

Prisoners At Home

On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, a U.S. military base in Hawaii. More than 2,400 people were killed. The next day, the U.S. declared war on Japan, then officially entered World War II (1939-1945). 

Many people mistakenly feared that all Japanese people were a threat, even though there was no evidence of that. Beginning in 1942, about 120,000 Japanese Americans were moved to camps in remote areas around the U.S. Most of these people were U.S. citizens. 

The camps were surrounded by barbed wire and guarded by soldiers carrying rifles. Like many others, Linda Horikawa’s entire family shared one room with no running water. In 1945, World War II ended, and most of the camps closed. Freed Japanese Americans began the difficult process of rebuilding their lives. In 1988, the U.S. government formally apologized to those who were forced to live in the camps.

Library of Congress/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images

Japanese Americans at a prison camp in Arcadia, California, in 1942

1. What is forced migration? Describe Ameya’s grandfather’s experience with forced migration.

2. Based on the article, how does Ameya prepare for her podcast interviews?

3. Why do you think the author chose the title “Prisoners at Home” for the article’s sidebar?

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