This event is part of Remembrance Awakened: Speaker Series, one of many events comprising Honouliuli National Historic Site's 80 Years of Closure Commemoration to honor when Honouliuli Internment Camp permanently closed.

Discussion Summary: How are artifacts still telling WWII Japanese American incarceration stories decades later? Learn from the keepers of history - the collections managers, archivists, and curators helping to interpret the history of incarceration sites across the United States.

Speakers:

Mikael Fox
Museum Technician, Honouliuli National Historic Site & Pearl Harbor National Memorial

Biography: Mikael Fox is the museum technician for Honouliuli National Historic Site. In this capacity, he prioritizes preservation in collaboration with community members. Fox built the site's museum collection from the ground up, ensuring a focus on both archaeological evidence and contemporary materials created within the community that emphasize Honouliuli as a place of living history in 2026. Fox earned two Bachelor of Arts degrees at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in History and Journalism, followed by a Master of Arts in Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2022.

Jamie Hendricks
Archivist, Japanese American National Museum

Biography: Jamie Henricks is the Archivist in the Collections Management & Access department of the Japanese American National Museum. She is responsible for managing the National Museum’s archival holdings, including those in the permanent collections and institutional archives. Her work includes processing collections, providing access to collections and assisting researchers, and supervising interns and volunteers working with collection materials. Prior to joining the National Museum, she was a Project Archivist at Pepperdine University, and an Archives Assistant at UCLA’s William Andrews Clark Memorial Library. She holds a Master of Library and Information Science degree with a specialization in Archival Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a Bachelor of Science degree from Texas Christian University.

Rachyl Soloai
Collections Manager, Heart Mountain Interpretive Center

Biography: Rachyl Soloai is the Collections Manager at the Heart Mountain Interpretive Center, where she brings her deep commitment to preservation and storytelling to the care and management of the Center’s historical collections.
Rachyl earned her undergraduate degree in Technical Writing from Brigham Young University–Idaho, where she received an award for academic excellence. Her early professional experience is rooted in librarianship, she served as a Reference Librarian at the Campbell County Public Library in Gillette, Wyoming, and as a Young Adult Librarian. These roles nurtured her passion for connecting people with information, stories, and resources that deepen understanding and spark curiosity.

She went on to earn a dual Master’s degree in Library and Information Science and Archival Studies from Louisiana State University, graduating at the top of her class. Her academic and professional background equipped her with a strong foundation in archival theory, information organization, and preservation practices. She now applies these skills to safeguard the artifacts and personal histories entrusted to the Heart Mountain Interpretive Center.

Rachyl began volunteering at the Heart Mountain Interpretive Center in June 2025 alongside the previous Collections Manager. She was inspired by the Center's mission to preserve and share the experiences of those incarcerated at Heart Mountain during World War II. Today she works to ensure the historic museum collection is properly preserved for generations to come.

Outside of her professional work, Rachyl enjoys traveling, reading, and spending time with her family and her cats. She is passionate about the power of history to connect generations and is deeply committed to preserving the voices and memories that shape our collective past.