Letters Home – Vietnam War Student-Led Experience at the LBJ Library
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Overview
This solo project was designed to make the Vietnam War more accessible and emotionally resonant for middle school audiences through the lens of letters exchanged between soldiers and their loved ones. Inspired by Nick Gray’s “Hack the Museum” concept, I created and led a 20-person interactive tour through the LBJ Library’s Vietnam War exhibit, showcasing four historical artifacts and two engaging activities.
To immerse participants in the experience, I portrayed a post-war Vietnam soldier who had recovered a final letter from a fallen friend, David Peeper. The goal was to humanize the conflict and focus on emotional connections, communication, and empathy.
Activities Included
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Kahoot Quiz: A fun, engaging trivia session to test and build knowledge about the Vietnam War and letter-writing.
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Letter Writing Activity: Participants wrote heartfelt letters to their loved ones, reflecting on the importance of written communication.
Creative Process
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Visited the museum multiple times to analyze space, layout, and traffic flow for planning my presentation path.
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Brainstormed and prototyped several activities inspired by past student projects and modern games.
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Narrowed the theme to “Letters Home,” focusing on emotional storytelling through authentic war-time correspondence.
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Heavily researched each chosen artifact to craft an accurate and engaging narrative.
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Wrote a compelling, age-appropriate script that invited discussion and reflection, emphasizing interactivity.
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Designed and produced two visual handouts in Photoshop for participants to better connect with the content.
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Submitted the full script and handouts to the museum staff for potential future use with educational tours.
Challenges
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Narrowing the scope of the Vietnam War into a single child-friendly theme.
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Balancing historical accuracy with PG-appropriate content for a younger audience.
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Scripting emotionally impactful content without being too graphic or intense.
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Creating interactivity that both educated and engaged without overwhelming.
Personal Growth
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Developed and delivered an engaging live educational experience.
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Overcame fear of public speaking through a character-driven performance.
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Improved skills in research, scriptwriting, problem-solving, and visual communication.
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Deepened understanding of emotional storytelling and educational design for younger audiences.
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Gained experience in museum education