<Begin Segment 19>

MA: And I think part of your life, which we'll talk about later, is an example of that. Of you, sort of, fighting for your rights as a U.S. citizen.

IN: Yes, well, when I went off to college at that time, students were, Japanese students were permitted in the elementary school, to be an elementary school teacher. They were not permitted to graduate in a secondary school curriculum. So, I didn't want to be an elementary school teacher. I wanted to be a business teacher, a business education teacher. And at San Jose State, I tried to get into the secretary education program, and I was not permitted. This is of course after I had completed my undergraduate courses. So I went to Dr. Atkinson, I remember his name to this day. And I pleaded with him to please let me. He says, "No." And I asked him the reason and he said, "It's because we cannot accept anybody in the secondary education if we cannot place them after the graduation." And I told him I would forego that, I would write a release and forego that. No, he says, "We can't do that." So then I went to the dean of the school. At that time, his name was Dean De Voss. And I told him that I didn't understand that as a citizen that I could be deprived of entering a program if I was willing, you know, to take that gamble of not being able to get... he says, "Well, I can't go over the decision of the head of the education there." And I was really angry and frustrated, and I wrote a letter to California legislature. And to this day, I don't know what happened to that letter. Is all I know, suddenly I got an invite from Dean De Voss and says, you know, "We've decided to put you into the program." So at that point, I went, I was permitted into the program, but I often felt that the teacher, professor, department head, was really anti-Irene. So I was never really happy or comfortable.

And when the time came at the, when I got my degree, and sure enough -- about, in those days, teachers were not that plentiful as it is today. And San Jose State was the only teachers' college that I know of at that time. So a lot of the principals of all over California, would come to San Jose State to recruit, and it started about February. And sure enough, I never got one interview. And my other peers would come up to me and says, "Well, Irene, what interviews did you get?" And I said," I haven't got any yet," and they would have about five or six interviews. Well I didn't have any, sure enough. But that's okay, because I told them verbally, that you know, I would not have them commit themselves. So I accepted that, and I was not a bit surprised. And I was in the personnel office, and the personnel lady at that time felt very badly for me. And, I said, "That's okay. That was the condition." And so I went home, back to the ranch. And in the month of August, I got a telephone call from that personnel lady, and she says, "Would you like to go to Hawaii?" And I said, "Oh sure, I'd love it. Oh wow." And to me, Hawaii was Honolulu. There was no other Hawaii. There was not Kauai, there was no Maui. So I said, "Oh, sure." And she says, "But I have to tell you, it's on an island." And I said, "Well, what island is it?" She says, " Kauai." She says, "It's a very rural school." And I thought about, I wanted to get back at the department head, so I said, "I'll take it." So of course, I accepted the job. I had to borrow the money from my father because I didn't have any money. However, before I went, I went to the orchard and picked prunes in that hot sun to make a little bit of money. So I picked prunes. [Laughs]

<End Segment 19> - Copyright © 2008 Densho. All Rights Reserved.