Phoenix area high school student honored for telling stories of veterans

High school student honored for telling stories of veterans

If the stories of veterans are not told, they might be lost forever. At the age of 17, Michelle Satrin has a passion for listening and telling stories of those who served the country.

PHOENIX - On June 18, veterans from all over the Valley gathered to support the people who support them, at an award ceremony put on by the Veterans Hall of Fame Society.

At the luncheon, non-veterans were celebrated for supporting veterans. Governor Doug Ducey also spoke at the event.

"To all of our veterans, active duty military members, families and loved ones: thank you," said Gov. Ducey.

High school student honored with award

If the stories of veterans are not told, they might be lost forever, but one high school student is making sure that doesn't happen.

"This is important because most veterans, their stories are never shared," said Michelle Satrin, President of the Cactus Shadows Veterans Heritage Project.

At the age of 17, Satrin has a passion for listening and telling stories of veterans.

"Most of them are pretty emotional," said Satrin.

As a part of her high school’s Veterans Heritage Project, Satrin interviews those who have fought for our country, from the Korean War to the Gulf Wars. She logs their stories and publishes them for anyone to read.

As a result of her work, Satrin was recognized by the Patriotic Awards.

"We are losing the history we have with veterans, and it's so important, especially for young people, to understand what went on and what happened to these people," said James Monroe, President of Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame Society.

And for Satrin, her way of saying thank you is by making sure veterans' stories are passed down.

"My favorite thing has to be the wisdom they share with me, a random 17-year-old girl," said Satrin.

The book Satrin wrote, called Because You Ask, is stored at the Library of Congress.