Interview with Cecil Cornejo
Introduction
Throughout this class, I have gained insight into various ways immigrants navigate and establish themselves in today’s society. This interview project allowed me to further understand these experiences through the perspective of someone I deeply admire, as they shared their journey of growing up as a child immigrant. Growing up in such a diverse family with ties to the Philippines has been a privilege and a source of pride for me. For my interview project, I chose my uncle, Cecil Cornejo, as the subject. He was one of the first people to come to mind, and I was excited by the opportunity to learn more than him and our family’s story. Throughout my entire life, my uncle has been the glue that holds our family together. Not only during the hard times, but also in the moments of joy and celebration. His remarkable charisma and ability to make me laugh is very evident throughout the interview. This project felt like the perfect chance to honor his role in our family and deepen my understanding of our shared history.
Background
My Uncle Cecil and the rest of his siblings had a unique perspective on our family’s journey. Both of their parents, my grandparents (Papa Eddie and Mama June), were born and raised in the Philippines. But my uncle and his siblings were all born in different parts of the world due to their father’s military service. My Uncle Cecil, for instance, was born in Japan and gained naturalization through my grandfather’s service. Hearing his story of naturalization was surprising, as he still recalled the experience despite being very young at the time. His mother took the citizenship test on his behalf, and he described the crowded building filed with people undergoing the same process. He reflected on the challenges of “Navy life”, which included frequent moves, adapting to new schools, and leaving relationships behind. Eventually, his family permanently settled in Virginia Beach, Virginia when my Uncle Cecil and his siblings were still relatively younger. Throughout the interview we discussed the challenges, processes, and all decisions made for my uncle’s immigration process. As well as the impact these experiences had on his up bringing and perspective. He shared how his family’s journey shaped his sense of family, ambition, and identity.
Cecil Cornejo with all of his siblings.
Migration
The migration process of my family was typical for a Navy family. The positives such as a secure income, a stable job, and housing provided by the Navy all outweighed the challenges. According to my uncle, it was difficult for his parents to leave behind their extended family in the Philippines, where many of our relatives still reside. As part of their migration story, the Navy facilitated their relocation by providing housing on military bases, which eased their transition between countries. This support made their move to the United States, and even a period in Japan, more manageable. Despite the frequent relocations, the United States was their ultimate destination. They achieved this goal when they were stationed in Virginia, where they settled permanently and continue to own the same home my grandparents purchased decades ago. The decision to migrate was driven by the push factors of limited opportunities in the Philippines and the pull factors of greater economic and professional prospects for my grandfather through the Navy. While the sacrifice, such as leaving their homeland and family, were very significant the positives outweighed this. Migration provided stability, security, and the foundation for a better future for my grandparents’s children and future generations.
Integration
My uncle spent most of his education in Virginia. I learned he only spent two years in college before entering the workforce. During his time in high school, he recounted the hostility he and his siblings faced for being Filipino. At the time, they were among the few people of color in their school. Other students would call them racial slurs, leading to unfair treatment and exclusion. However, we discussed how our area in Virginia has changed over time. Today, it has a large population of immigrants, due to the significant military presence in the region. This influx of immigrants has greatly shaped and integrated the community. We now see a variety of restaurants, stores, churches reflecting diverse cultures. Which highlights the area’s transformation into a more inclusive and multicultural environment. Challenges such as racism and exclusion may have played a role in my uncle’s decision to leave high school early and transition into college and the workforce. His drive to work and contribute began at an early age of sixteen. Watching his father work tirelessly and his mother managing the household as a stay-at-home mom to five children deeply influenced his strong work ethic. Often describing this determination as the “Filipino way”, rooted in the cultural value of always hustling and making the most of every opportunity. An aspect of his journey was how he eventually worked alongside my grandfather in the Navy in his early adulthood, contributing as a designer, a job he continues to this day. This collaboration exemplifies the integration of generational values, where hard work and resourcefulness are passed down and practiced within the family. My uncle also shared how he and his siblings always found ways to maximize their time taking on side gigs in addition to their primary jobs. This mindset reflects not only a culture emphasis on diligence but also a practical approach to achieving stability and success in their lives as Filipino Americans. Although my grandparents are no longer with us, their second, third, and fourth generation relatives remain. My uncle and his siblings had to navigate dual cultural contexts throughout their lives, balancing their family’s heritage with the dominant culture they were raised in. This is evident in language, while my grandparents spoke fluent Tagalog their children only know a few words and phrases. As a family integrating into the community, they still made efforts to preserve Filipino culture. A strong value my uncle holds personally is his desire to be a supportive and helpful individual for his family, not only by providing financially but also by being present. Our culture continues to live on in our family through the food we eat and by keeping our history alive. My uncle was even able to visit the hospital where he was born in Japan, recognizing his ties to other countries. Our family still contribute to our culture by ensuring our heritage is acknowledged and celebrated.
Cecil Cornejo visiting where he was born in Japan.
Conclusion
Learning more about my family history, as well as gaining personal insight into the experience of being a child immigrant has opened my eyes to the millions of individuals going through the same process. The process of naturalization changes not only your legal status but also how you view your surroundings and your life. A strong theme throughout the interview was the value of family and determination. This was illustrated by a funny personal story my uncle shared. How, after wreaking my grandfather’s car as a teenager, he got off the school but the next day to find my grandfather has already bought him a new car. From the very beginning, our family has always made sure that everyone has what they need to succeed and thrive. That mindset has remained unchanged from the time my grandparents left the Philippines to today, when our immediate family is living in America. Though over time we lose some aspects of our culture, we continue to make efforts to preserve and uphold for future generations. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have this experience with my uncle and to preserve this project as a lasting part of our family’s story. Ultimately, the journey of our family is a testament to resilience, determination, the importance of family values, and the enduring strength of our cultural heritage. As we continue to navigate new challenges, we remain committed to honoring our roots and ensuring that the lessons learned from previous generations are passed on to those who come after us.
Uncle Cecil, Me, and my Father.
Baylee Cornejo: Awesome. Okay, so today for my interview project, I’m going to be interviewing my uncle on my father’s side. Thank you so much again, Uncle Cecil for doing this. I really appreciate your time. I really appreciate it. I think it’ll be fun to get to know more about you.
Baylee Cornejo: Um, just to start us off, can you give your full name and age?
Cecil Cornejo: Cecil Norris Cornejo. I am 57.
Baylee Cornejo: Okay. When and where were you born?
Cecil Cornejo: Yakuska, Japan.
Baylee Cornejo: And where did you grow up?
Cecil Cornejo: Well, mainly in Virginia. I was, uh, with Japan, then we went to Texas a little bit. I don’t know how long, then we went to Virginia.
Baylee Cornejo: I know you guys were born all over, all of your siblings.
Cecil Cornejo: You know, you know, your Uncle Glenn’s San Diego.
Baylee Cornejo: I know, even some of the U. [00:01:00] S. Uncle
Cecil Cornejo: Gil’s was Philippines.
Baylee Cornejo: Oh wow, I didn’t even know that.
Cecil Cornejo: That’s awesome. Yeah, he’s from the Philippines, Uncle Gil.
Baylee Cornejo: Um, so why did you end up like moving to the United States? Like what was the
Cecil Cornejo: Oh, your Papa Eddie, he’s in the Navy.
Baylee Cornejo: You know,
Cecil Cornejo: Navy Brats. You know, we travel when he travels.
Baylee Cornejo: Yeah.
Cecil Cornejo: We go where he goes, so
Baylee Cornejo: Did he ever have to go without you guys?
Cecil Cornejo: Um, I don’t think so, no.
Baylee Cornejo: Oh, okay.
Cecil Cornejo: We travel with him.
Baylee Cornejo: Mm hmm. I know he had to leave, um, Mama June when he was first, um, stationed. Yeah,
Cecil Cornejo: yeah. Yeah, he had to leave her, I guess, in the Philippines for a while.
Baylee Cornejo: Mm hmm.
Cecil Cornejo: Yeah, I don’t know how long. I forget.
Baylee Cornejo: Yeah, I just did a paper on him. Yeah,
Cecil Cornejo: of course. So, you know.
Baylee Cornejo: Oh, this one’s actually about them. Um, do you know where they were born? Um, Mama June, Papa Eddie.
Cecil Cornejo: [00:02:00] Um, Mama June was born in Manila and Papa Eddie was born in Cavite.
Baylee Cornejo: Oh yeah. I still love the way he said
Cecil Cornejo: it.
Cecil Cornejo: Cavite. It’s Cavite. V’s or B’s.
Baylee Cornejo: Um, when did they come to the United States? Like,
Cecil Cornejo: I’m
Cecil Cornejo: guessing your uncle Glenn was born in 65, I guess. 1964, 65.
Baylee Cornejo: Yeah, I think it was around that I found, like, his, um, documents and stuff, so I got to see kind of. Okay, yeah,
Cecil Cornejo: 64, 65, something like that.
Baylee Cornejo: Yeah, what did, um, they do for work, both of them?
Cecil Cornejo: Mama June was a stay at home mom, and your dad, I mean, your Papa Eddie was a [00:03:00] musician in the Navy.
Baylee Cornejo: Oh, that’s
Cecil Cornejo: awesome. And then He played sax, he played sax and clarinet.
Baylee Cornejo: Oh, he loved it.
Cecil Cornejo: He loved it. For over three years. That’s why I just wanted us out. You know, I took up clarinet because of him, so Yeah, a lot of you did a lot of music stuff. Yeah, Uncle Gil did clarinet. Yeah, you know, Gil did We all musical.
Cecil Cornejo: Except for your uncle. Uh, except for your Auntie Cheryl. She never played anything.
Baylee Cornejo: No. Um, How did you become, like, naturalized? Since you were, like, born
Cecil Cornejo: I was born through Mama June. Okay. I don’t know how that works. Mama June took the test for us.
Baylee Cornejo: Oh, that’s what dad was saying. That she was able to do the naturalization test for you?
Baylee Cornejo: I didn’t even know.
Cecil Cornejo: Yeah, I remember going with her to the test. And she had like, answered like 5 or 10 questions or something.
Baylee Cornejo: Oh, really?
Cecil Cornejo: Yeah, she had to answer some questions about U. S. history and all this crap.
Baylee Cornejo: So you remember some things over [00:04:00] in Japan?
Cecil Cornejo: Mm hmm. I remember a dark, a dark hallway going through the test.
Cecil Cornejo: Bunch of people lined up.
Baylee Cornejo: Oh, I bet.
Cecil Cornejo: Yeah. You’re taking a test. All kinds of like Spanish people, all kinds of people, Filipino, Japanese, ready to take a test to be naturalized.
Baylee Cornejo: What age were you when you came? I
Cecil Cornejo: was third, 12 or 13. What? I didn’t,
Baylee Cornejo: I thought, no. Cause dad told me you were like,
Cecil Cornejo: no, I wasn’t, no, I wasn’t.
Cecil Cornejo: I’m pretty sure I was in middle school.
Baylee Cornejo: Wait, that’s insane. I did not know that.
Cecil Cornejo: Yeah, I was nationalized so I was in middle school. Yeah, I was nationalized so I was in middle school.
Baylee Cornejo: Like your entire schooling was in America.
Cecil Cornejo: No, I wasn’t, I was still, I wasn’t technically an American citizen until middle school.
Baylee Cornejo: That, so this is why we need, this is why we need to do this. So did you know any of like the language or was it only English?
Cecil Cornejo: Only English. And they never taught us [00:05:00] Tagalog.
Baylee Cornejo: Yes, that was going to be one of my questions, if they ever taught you, they’re like, I don’t know why, I
Cecil Cornejo: don’t know why they didn’t.
Cecil Cornejo: They just get
Baylee Cornejo: lost.
Cecil Cornejo: I guess your mom was usually too busy taking care of five kids, so.
Baylee Cornejo: Oh, I know.
Cecil Cornejo: She was too busy.
Baylee Cornejo: Wow, that’s so awesome. I did not know. Um, has anyone in your family ever been back to the Philippines?
Cecil Cornejo: I guess none of your siblings. None of my siblings though.
Baylee Cornejo: But Papa Eddie
Cecil Cornejo: Papa Eddie’s been He went several times.
Baylee Cornejo: He went until he like
Cecil Cornejo: He used to go back a lot.
Baylee Cornejo: Mama June never?
Cecil Cornejo: Never. Ever.
Baylee Cornejo: But they still have um, a lot of family over there.
Cecil Cornejo: They have lots of family over there. A lot of uncles, aunts.
Baylee Cornejo: Tons.
Cecil Cornejo: We have tons.
Baylee Cornejo: And did they stay, like, in contact with you, or? No, not, not, not [00:06:00] me personally, no. Yeah.
Cecil Cornejo: I don’t think my other siblings have, either.
Baylee Cornejo: Mm hmm. I, I think Pabeti did a little bit.
Cecil Cornejo: He did, he sent, he sent money. Every month. Of course. He does. Every month he sent money.
Baylee Cornejo: That’s like you now, you’re the new
Cecil Cornejo: Papa
Cecil Cornejo: Yeah, it’s me. I’m Papa Eddie 2.0.
Baylee Cornejo: Um, did you have any family in Ja, um, Japan or was it just you guys?
Cecil Cornejo: Just just us because, you know, was a naval base there in ska.
Baylee Cornejo: Oh, you lived on the naval? In the
Cecil Cornejo: naval base. We lived the naval base.
Baylee Cornejo: Was the community, like, weird? Like, was there a lot of immigrants? I don’t
Cecil Cornejo: remember.
Cecil Cornejo: I was so young, I was like
Baylee Cornejo: Yeah, it was so long ago.
Cecil Cornejo: Yeah, I don’t remember anything.
Baylee Cornejo: Yeah.
Cecil Cornejo: I went back there, though, when I was for, uh, for work.
Baylee Cornejo: Oh, you got to go back?
Cecil Cornejo: Yeah, I have a picture of me. I have a picture of me standing outside the hospital, the neighbor hospital.
Baylee Cornejo: We don’t want to see that.
Cecil Cornejo: Yeah, I’ll send it to you.
Baylee Cornejo: Yes, please. I’d love to see that. Um, do you have any [00:07:00] family from, like, the Philippines or, like, in your area?
Cecil Cornejo: In my area? Front of Philippines? Yeah. We have, uh, Auntie Nilda.
Baylee Cornejo: Mm
Cecil Cornejo: hmm. Auntie Osi. Her mom.
Baylee Cornejo: Yes.
Cecil Cornejo: They’re from the Philippines. That’s the only one I know of, of hand. I’m sure there’s plenty, there’s more.
Cecil Cornejo: Oh, my uncle. My uncle, my uncle.
Baylee Cornejo: The one that looks like dad?
Cecil Cornejo: Yes. What’s his name? Uncle Ani. Uncle Ani.
Baylee Cornejo: Yes. No, I remember like growing up, we had so many, like, there’s like so many people in D. C. still. Yeah,
Cecil Cornejo: a lot.
Baylee Cornejo: That were like, like they were mama June’s.
Cecil Cornejo: Mm
Baylee Cornejo: hmm. Nieces or nephews. I was at that school. Um, can you like describe your childhood and what it was like?
Cecil Cornejo: My childhood? Mm hmm. Great.
Baylee Cornejo: How so?
Cecil Cornejo: [00:08:00] Um, it was family oriented. It was all about family. No Filipinos. Oh, dad did everything for us. He tried everything. I remember one time I wrecked, I told her this car and I was 16. I told her that. And a couple months later, I was going off the bus. It was, he had a car ready for me again.
Cecil Cornejo: The drive another car, another car.
Baylee Cornejo: It’s just that, that work, work ethic I see. I saw in him, but I also, oh, work ethic is crazy. So
Cecil Cornejo: he, he, he loved the work. He loved the work. It’s like me, like that. I have to be doing something.
Baylee Cornejo: Of course. And he even owned his own business. Didn’t ain. He did. Mm-hmm .
Cecil Cornejo: You, you owned a bar.
Baylee Cornejo: Yeah.
Cecil Cornejo: What
Baylee Cornejo: was your experience like, having to move from Japan to Virginia and like that like change [00:09:00] in like schooling and like
Cecil Cornejo: what’s going on is rough, you know, we got to
Baylee Cornejo: Yeah.
Cecil Cornejo: I’ve changed schools, what, four, four times, uh, three or four times. You know, you make, you make friends, you gotta leave your friends.
Baylee Cornejo: Yeah.
Cecil Cornejo: Which is hard. You know, it’s, it’s Navy life. Military life.
Baylee Cornejo: I know.
Cecil Cornejo: Military life is hard. I mean, I, you know, I, uh, uh, I don’t know how my mom did it.
Baylee Cornejo: Oh, I know. She had five young children. Five kids.
Cecil Cornejo: And my dad always, I always got to see on deployment every six months or so, you know, he’s out for six months at a time.
Baylee Cornejo: Did she show like it was hard for her?
Cecil Cornejo: Oh yeah, you could tell, you could tell it was hard.
Baylee Cornejo: Yeah, cause you loved him. Yeah,
Cecil Cornejo: she loved him. They
Baylee Cornejo: had a really amazing
Cecil Cornejo: relationship. Uh huh, it was amazing.
Baylee Cornejo: Did your parents practice any traditions? Like, of your, like, [00:10:00] heritage that your family still does?
Cecil Cornejo: Um, do we?
Cecil Cornejo: We
Cecil Cornejo: never had tra ah, not really. I mean, nothing. Nothing out of the ordinary.
Baylee Cornejo: Yeah, I would say, like, the way your middle name is really No.
Cecil Cornejo: Or every, every, you know, all the boys have Norris. Whatever has Norris. It won’t have Norris.
Baylee Cornejo: It’s a,
Cecil Cornejo: it’s a, it’s a, oh yeah, that’s a, yes, the Filipino tradition that take your mom’s maiden name and your middle name.
Baylee Cornejo: Is it even your surname?
Cecil Cornejo: But the show has two middle names. It’s Cheryl Grace Norris.
Baylee Cornejo: Okay, but still.
Cecil Cornejo: It’s still Norse in there.
Baylee Cornejo: So if I did it, my kids would have Cornejo as their middle name.
Cecil Cornejo: Yes, you want to keep the tradition going. I
Baylee Cornejo: love my last name.
Cecil Cornejo: I [00:11:00] know people miss, people mispronounce it all the time.
Cecil Cornejo: That’s my childhood. Everyone
Baylee Cornejo: thinks it’s Mexican.
Cecil Cornejo: Yeah, you Mexican though.
Baylee Cornejo: No,
Cecil Cornejo: I’m not .
Baylee Cornejo: Even though it is a Spanish or Spanish, yes. In a Spanish word.
Cecil Cornejo: Yes. A Spanish thing.
Baylee Cornejo: Um, I already asked, oh gosh. In the doctor office.
Cecil Cornejo: Po Joe or corn ho .
Baylee Cornejo: Just Joe. Thank you. Yeah. Um, I already asked you if you spoke any of your, like motherly.
Cecil Cornejo: No.
Baylee Cornejo: I know you, I know you guys knew a few phrases and Oh yeah. And you can like kind, could you kind of understand. No, I can understand
Cecil Cornejo: when she’s mad, when she’s mad. Yeah. Yeah, her tone of voice. But I don’t, I don’t really understand the, uh, the words. But, you know, [00:12:00] her mannerisms and her tone. I know what she’s talking about.
Baylee Cornejo: Yeah. You think they just, like, shifted because they were just in a new community? Yeah. Because they lived in the Philippines and then
Cecil Cornejo: Well, it’s not, or, I don’t remember a lot of Filipinos around us, you know, in our neighborhoods.
Baylee Cornejo: Yeah.
Cecil Cornejo: Not a lot.
Baylee Cornejo: Even though, like, Virginia Beach It’s so like, they have so many immigrants around because of the naval base.
Cecil Cornejo: Yeah, it’s largely part of the naval base. It’s the main reason why Filipinos are here and Mexicans and Spanish, everybody.
Baylee Cornejo: Yeah, I see it in like all the restaurants. Like there’s Filipino restaurants now and like stores. That’s where we get our Filipino food still.
Cecil Cornejo: Yeah, you know, Phelan’s.
Baylee Cornejo: Of course.
Cecil Cornejo: Angie’s.
Baylee Cornejo: That’s one of our traditions. It’s our Filipino food. It’s our
Cecil Cornejo: Filipino food during Christmas.
Baylee Cornejo: Every, if it’s not there, we’re [00:13:00] like, what is
Cecil Cornejo: Where’s the parmesan?
Baylee Cornejo: I know.
Cecil Cornejo: Where’s the parmesan? Where’s the cheese? No,
Baylee Cornejo: it’s not the same.
Cecil Cornejo: That is
Baylee Cornejo: for sure. I really wish I knew Tagalog.
Cecil Cornejo: Me too.
Baylee Cornejo: That’s
Cecil Cornejo: one thing I wish I learned.
Baylee Cornejo: Oh yeah. Um, did your parents stress any values to you? And like, what kind of expectations did they hold? When you’re like young, until you grew up.
Cecil Cornejo: They expect me to be polite to my elders, especially, you know, treat people equally,
Cecil Cornejo: don’t cuss, but I, you know, I cuss a lot. That didn’t, that didn’t uphold, but just to be patient, understanding, stuff like that.
Baylee Cornejo: Did they expect anything for you, like, financially? Like, did they want you to go to school after?
Cecil Cornejo: They wanted to, they wanted me to go to the Navy. Really? Oh yeah, probably [00:14:00] I did want to, badly.
Baylee Cornejo: Because you went?
Cecil Cornejo: Because you went. Some sort of military, but not necessarily Navy, but some sort of Mary Taylor military thing, but that wasn’t for me.
Baylee Cornejo: Did he, like, really try to push you in all your planks?
Cecil Cornejo: No, not, yeah, he pushed, you know, I could go in.
Baylee Cornejo: Mm hmm.
Cecil Cornejo: Army. For a little bit, yeah, right. He suggested it, but he didn’t really, you know, demand it.
Baylee Cornejo: Yeah. It was never forced. Like he was
Cecil Cornejo: just,
Baylee Cornejo: he
Cecil Cornejo: wasn’t a forceful guy. Just, you know, put a little bug in my ear.
Baylee Cornejo: Okay. I’ll think about it. It’s an option for you.
Cecil Cornejo: It was awesome.
Baylee Cornejo: And I know you were really, really young when you first arrived in the U S but do you have any certain first memories of that at all?
Cecil Cornejo: Oh, I remember going to Texas. I remember living in Texas and, uh, we [00:15:00] were living in the housing, I remember a hurricane hitting and taking off the whole side of our unit. Like I see, I can see Uncle Chris’s, uh, crib from the outside, just there, just bare. That’s one thing I remember.
Baylee Cornejo: Really? Yeah. Does it really hurt financially, like?
Cecil Cornejo: Yeah, well, it’s a Navy housing, so they took care of it, but that’s the only thing I remember.
Baylee Cornejo: Mm hmm. Do you think like being in the Navy really helped financially for your family?
Cecil Cornejo: Yeah, for dad, for sure.
Baylee Cornejo: Especially when you’re
Cecil Cornejo: retired, you know, you get that income, retirement income every month.
Baylee Cornejo: Yeah.
Cecil Cornejo: You get that, you get that medical every month.
Cecil Cornejo: Free medical every month. For mom, you know. He
Baylee Cornejo: really loved the Navy.
Cecil Cornejo: Yeah, he loved it 20 years.
Baylee Cornejo: Yeah, I remember him talking about it sometimes.
Cecil Cornejo: He would have, he would have stayed [00:16:00] even longer, but I don’t think Mama June wanted to stay
Baylee Cornejo: any
Cecil Cornejo: longer.
Baylee Cornejo: It was probably hard for her. I mean, I couldn’t imagine, like, having I can’t imagine
Cecil Cornejo: raising five kids, you know.
Baylee Cornejo: She made it work, though.
Cecil Cornejo: She didn’t work at all.
Baylee Cornejo: I know. Well, she babysitted. Yeah, she had one of the hardest jobs.
Cecil Cornejo: Yeah, she babysit the other kids too, I think. I remember that.
Baylee Cornejo: Is it like, just like, in your, in your culture just to have a lot of kids? I’ve always wondered that because I know like five kids.
Cecil Cornejo: Yes, yes. Back in the, back in the Someone was
Baylee Cornejo: detected at your driveway. Sorry.
Cecil Cornejo: Yeah, back in P. I. is, they, they have a lot of kids.
Baylee Cornejo: Oh yeah.
Cecil Cornejo: You know, it’s, they love kids.
Baylee Cornejo: Did like your generation, like you and your siblings have
Cecil Cornejo: for more who want kids?
Baylee Cornejo: Like have one, one wanted to have multiple kids?
Cecil Cornejo: Yeah, I do. I [00:17:00] did.
Baylee Cornejo: Mm-hmm .
Cecil Cornejo: I always wanted, I had two girls, so I had two girls. Really? One, I never wanted a boy.
Baylee Cornejo: Why is that?
Cecil Cornejo: Because too many boys in the family. I always wanted a girl.
Baylee Cornejo: I love that. You’re such a girl dad.
Cecil Cornejo: Yeah, I always said, if I get married, I want at least two girls.
Baylee Cornejo: Yeah, I think like, a value we have in our family is definitely just family. Family first.
Cecil Cornejo: Family first. Well, I even
Baylee Cornejo: wrote, like, you especially, like, even if, like, there’s a baby being born, you’re gonna be there. Like, you donate to my little club. Thank you, by the way.
Cecil Cornejo: Oh, yeah, you’re welcome. I was there for your brother Justin’s, uh, baby.
Cecil Cornejo: Your dad wasn’t there, so I had to fill in as the grandpa. Yeah,
Baylee Cornejo: but you drop everything. And, like, you’re like, okay, I’ll be there.
Cecil Cornejo: I did. It was snowing that day, remember?
Baylee Cornejo: Oh, I remember. That’s the first time I ever drove in snow.
Cecil Cornejo: Yeah, I went through the snow to get there.
Baylee Cornejo: I love our baby.
Cecil Cornejo: Yep. [00:18:00]
Baylee Cornejo: Um, where did you go to school?
Baylee Cornejo: And did you go to college?
Cecil Cornejo: I went to, I went to Kellum, a high school. After college, two years of college. Two years? Just two.
Baylee Cornejo: Why?
Cecil Cornejo: DCC, I went there to get my mechanical engineering degree. I didn’t go back, because I didn’t feel the need to go back, because I was making more than enough money. I make money, I make money right now as a regular engineer, a regular engineer does, so.
Baylee Cornejo: So did you, so you didn’t graduate from high school?
Cecil Cornejo: I did, I went to Cal, I graduated from high school. Calum High, barely.
Baylee Cornejo: Yeah.
Cecil Cornejo: But in high school, I graduated summa cum laude from TCC, so.
Baylee Cornejo: So you did go to, did you, what was like your um, study, what did you study?
Cecil Cornejo: Mechanical engineering.
Baylee Cornejo: Oh wow.
Cecil Cornejo: Yeah. Could have imagined that.
Cecil Cornejo: 3. 8 average,
Baylee Cornejo: something
Cecil Cornejo: like that. Okay. [00:19:00] Bye.
Baylee Cornejo: Yes. That’s awesome. My poor engineering friends struggle. They hate
Cecil Cornejo: it, don’t they?
Baylee Cornejo: Oh, yeah. But, I mean, financially, they’ll be
Cecil Cornejo: Yeah, it’s fancy, and in the long run, it pays off. I mean, it’s
Baylee Cornejo: a hard job, though. I mean It is hard. Um,
Cecil Cornejo: what What are all the jobs that you
Baylee Cornejo: have held?
Baylee Cornejo: I was I was
Cecil Cornejo: a I work at Burger King.
Baylee Cornejo: I
Cecil Cornejo: was With your uncles.
Baylee Cornejo: Mm hmm.
Cecil Cornejo: Then Domino’s.
Cecil Cornejo: Then Then I worked as a designer with your Papa Eddie. Oh, really? Yeah, his company hired me as a designer. A junior designer. Back in the day.
Baylee Cornejo: Oh, wow.
Cecil Cornejo: Worked with your Papa Eddie. We drove to work together. Every day. Um He picked me up every day. Yep. Yep. Yep. [00:20:00] We, we worked at two places together.
Baylee Cornejo: Where would you design for him?
Cecil Cornejo: We designed, we work for the Navy.
Baylee Cornejo: Oh, so you did have like a little work in the Navy?
Cecil Cornejo: I worked for the Navy now.
Baylee Cornejo: Oh. That’s what we
Cecil Cornejo: did. That’s what I do now.
Baylee Cornejo: Okay. That’s gonna be one of my questions.
Cecil Cornejo: I work for Navy. I worked for, I’ve been working for Navy past exclusively for past 20, let’s say 25 years.
Baylee Cornejo: What do you like, enjoy and hate about your job? Like your
Cecil Cornejo: hate
Baylee Cornejo: or enjoy
Cecil Cornejo: and do I love, I love the, uh, the, uh, the people and how casual they are. You
Baylee Cornejo: know,
Cecil Cornejo: I can take off time whenever I want
Baylee Cornejo: to go golf,
Cecil Cornejo: go golf, work from home twice a week, which is good. This is nice.
Baylee Cornejo: Working on a. [00:21:00] Computer and stuff. I know you always fix everybody’s phones for them.
Cecil Cornejo: Yeah, you get the knowledge from work. Yeah. But, yeah, fix everyone, because your dad is incompetent. Computers and your uncle, Gil, good God. That’s cause they’re old. I’m old too, but I know some shit. Sorry. They should know something.
Baylee Cornejo: I know they think they could just stop.
Cecil Cornejo: No, we gotta, I don’t know. Your dad’s horrible.
Cecil Cornejo: God bless
Baylee Cornejo: him. Did you like start working at a pretty early age then?
Cecil Cornejo: I started working at 16.
Baylee Cornejo: So when you
Cecil Cornejo: could start,
Baylee Cornejo: yeah.
Cecil Cornejo: I never stopped. I was, yeah, I was away after that. Oh no, I had wallpaper too. I painted for a living. Oh
Baylee Cornejo: yeah, you did have.
Cecil Cornejo: During college, yeah. I painted my
Baylee Cornejo: baby room.
Cecil Cornejo: Yeah, [00:22:00] I did wallpapering and painting for like 10 years.
Baylee Cornejo: Yeah.
Cecil Cornejo: I still do it now, you know, for people. For free.
Baylee Cornejo: You always, you and everyone, um, your siblings always have a little side gig, I feel like.
Cecil Cornejo: Yeah, your dad has side gigs
Baylee Cornejo: all the time.
Cecil Cornejo: He’s the king of side gigs.
Baylee Cornejo: He’s just about the hustle.
Cecil Cornejo: You gotta make the money, you know what I’m saying? That’s the Filipino way.
Cecil Cornejo: You gotta make that money.
Baylee Cornejo: It is.
Cecil Cornejo: It is.
Baylee Cornejo: I started working at an early age too. I just felt like I had to. I mean, it’s
Cecil Cornejo: like in the blood or something. I don’t know. I don’t know.
Baylee Cornejo: It’s just, I think it’s just the drive to be kind of financially stable.
Cecil Cornejo: Independent too. Yeah. Don’t ask your dad for money all the time.
Cecil Cornejo: I know. Like he has money. Huh?
Baylee Cornejo: I don’t ask him for money. My brother does.
Cecil Cornejo: Brother does know that
Baylee Cornejo: Um, [00:23:00] have you ever experienced any unfair treatment being Filipino? Oh yeah. In like the work field education. Oh,
Cecil Cornejo: school too. In high school? Yeah. He called me Chink. SL eyes, something like that.
Baylee Cornejo: Yeah.
Cecil Cornejo: Really? Oh yeah. Oh yeah. I’ve seen it all. I’ve heard it all. Race eaters. What it really
Baylee Cornejo: common thing and like what it
Cecil Cornejo: really common things back, you know, back in the eighties?
Baylee Cornejo: Yeah. Oh yeah.
Cecil Cornejo: 70s and 80s. Oh, yeah. You know, you know, you do it right now. You know, we get you get away with it now, but Yeah, back in the 80s, 70s, 80s, phew, it was, it was brutal.
Baylee Cornejo: Did it really bother you guys, like you and yourself? Bother me?
Cecil Cornejo: I mean, to, to an extent, yeah, but, You just gotta go with it. That’s why I got into some fights, so many fights.
Baylee Cornejo: Oh, really? Uh
Cecil Cornejo: huh.
Baylee Cornejo: I can’t imagine you hurting anyone.
Cecil Cornejo: I don’t get hurt people, I don’t get hurt people. You have to defend yourself. You might
Baylee Cornejo: call you a [00:24:00] chink
Cecil Cornejo: and shit, dang.
Baylee Cornejo: I know.
Cecil Cornejo: It’s not right.
Baylee Cornejo: Kids.
Cecil Cornejo: Kids are crazy. Kids are brutal.
Baylee Cornejo: I know, but like in today’s, like, world, like, And like when I went to school personally, like never, I never like saw that.
Baylee Cornejo: I mean, yeah,
Cecil Cornejo: yeah, yeah. You’re ages. Yes. Kind of, you don’t see it that much, but it’s got social media. You can break your phone out. Say that again.
Baylee Cornejo: Say
Cecil Cornejo: that again.
Baylee Cornejo: Yeah, exactly. It’s just also the technology that we have now. Break your phone out and tell them, you know, I got you. I know. If they could, like, if Mama June and Papa Eddie could see, like, what they have out now.
Baylee Cornejo: Oh, God.
Cecil Cornejo: Especially Mama June. She’d go crazy on Amazon.
Baylee Cornejo: Oh, my gosh. Papa Eddie would. We’d have to take him out. There’d be an
Cecil Cornejo: Amazon package at the door every freaking day.
Baylee Cornejo: He would just love He was good with technology.
Cecil Cornejo: Oh, yeah. He’d love Amazon.
Baylee Cornejo: Yeah,
Cecil Cornejo: [00:25:00] he did
Baylee Cornejo: love spending money.
Cecil Cornejo: Yeah, he had money to spend.
Baylee Cornejo: Yeah.
Cecil Cornejo: He had the money. Yeah, he spent it.
Baylee Cornejo: So sad.
Cecil Cornejo: Yeah.
Baylee Cornejo: What have you come to value most in life? And how did you come to hold those values?
Cecil Cornejo: I value my family.
Baylee Cornejo: Mm
Cecil Cornejo: hmm. That’s the first thing. I do, I keep them number one. I do anything for them. You know, do anything for your auntie Kelly. Cause you know, even though we’re divorced, I still do stuff for her.
Baylee Cornejo: Uh,
Cecil Cornejo: you know, she needed new floors that, you know, I’m working around, I’m still working on her floors right now, her house.
Baylee Cornejo: You think you just like have, you’re really good at like keeping tight knit. Even, yeah,
Cecil Cornejo: you gotta get it locked in. You gotta like, [00:26:00] family is everything.
Baylee Cornejo: Did you like stay close? Um, like for your kids?
Cecil Cornejo: Yes.
Baylee Cornejo: Initially?
Cecil Cornejo: Initially I had to.
Baylee Cornejo: Oh yeah.
Cecil Cornejo: That’s the, that’s the first thing I told, I told Kelly, I said, the kids are first, I don’t care.
Cecil Cornejo: Whatever you, you know, we discuss is, is away from them. And whatever they need, they, they, they get. Mm
Baylee Cornejo: hmm. Those are your girls, your babies.
Cecil Cornejo: Yep, I, you know, nothing changed. I’ve seen them, I see them every day almost. Mm hmm.
Baylee Cornejo: Yeah, you guys are really close. Very, very evident. And so you did, you did go with them.
Baylee Cornejo: I love my cousins.
Cecil Cornejo: Yeah, they’re good. They’re good girls.
Baylee Cornejo: Yeah. What goals do you have yourself then? And then like, still like now?
Cecil Cornejo: Goals? Yeah. To be healthy.
Baylee Cornejo: [00:27:00] Yeah.
Cecil Cornejo: My girls and potentially grandkids.
Baylee Cornejo: That’s
Cecil Cornejo: my worst nightmare, not to pick up my grandkids. Yeah, it’s a hard one. Walk with them, you know, they go to their games They coach
Baylee Cornejo: them
Cecil Cornejo: coach.
Cecil Cornejo: That’s right. I’m a coach Lele.
Baylee Cornejo: No, you got a coach them for soccer
Cecil Cornejo: Well coach Lele for soccer for sure.
Baylee Cornejo: Oh, I can’t wait. She’ll be three soon
Cecil Cornejo: this year I don’t see you play soccer. Uh next month It’s your place talking to us in the spring, next spring. She wants to,
Baylee Cornejo: would you go out of retirement to coach again?
Baylee Cornejo: Someone’s got to teach them.
Cecil Cornejo: Yep.
Baylee Cornejo: Okay. Get
Cecil Cornejo: out, get your coach with me.
Baylee Cornejo: Oh, she would love to coach. Like,
Cecil Cornejo: yes, you would. And she would love it.
Baylee Cornejo: What do you see as [00:28:00] the best or happiest time in your life?
Cecil Cornejo: The happiest? I’ll say again, having my girls,
Baylee Cornejo: the
Cecil Cornejo: happiest. That thing changed my whole life. I used to, before I had Kendall, I used to go out with the boys all the time.
Cecil Cornejo: And once she was born, all that shit stopped. Partying, partying, all that. Drinking, no. That stopped.
Baylee Cornejo: You just felt like you, like, kind of had to?
Cecil Cornejo: I kind of had to because I had responsibilities. I want to, you know,
Baylee Cornejo: I
Cecil Cornejo: want to be there.
Baylee Cornejo: Oh yeah, for all the little things, don’t want to miss anything. That’s
Cecil Cornejo: right.
Baylee Cornejo: That you’re very present with them, for sure.
Cecil Cornejo: Oh yeah.
Baylee Cornejo: My last question is, what’s your favorite thing about your culture?
Cecil Cornejo: Food.
Baylee Cornejo: It really is, though.
Cecil Cornejo: It gotta be food and,
Baylee Cornejo: yeah,
Cecil Cornejo: food.
Baylee Cornejo: Did they teach you a lot of recipes? [00:29:00] Like, did they pass down any? Not really,
Cecil Cornejo: no. That’s one thing I wish they did.
Baylee Cornejo: Mmhmm.
Cecil Cornejo: Passing down recipes. I
Baylee Cornejo: know.
Cecil Cornejo: I know your father knows how to do a bingka.
Baylee Cornejo: Yes, he did make it for Thanksgiving.
Cecil Cornejo: I didn’t get any. I didn’t get any.
Cecil Cornejo: I was mad.
Baylee Cornejo: Everybody was really, Justin and them were so excited.
Cecil Cornejo: Yeah, see I didn’t get anything.
Baylee Cornejo: I know we need to see you about them. Well, if it makes up for Christmas, that will make it.
Cecil Cornejo: Yeah.
Baylee Cornejo: Hopefully. You better.
Cecil Cornejo: Yeah.
Baylee Cornejo: But I really appreciate you doing this for me. You’re welcome. It’s for my final project, so.
Cecil Cornejo: You gotta write about it? You gotta put it down on paper now or just?
Baylee Cornejo: I have to write a paper and I have to do a transcript
Cecil Cornejo: for it.
Baylee Cornejo: How long
Cecil Cornejo: is your
Baylee Cornejo: paper? Five to seven pages. Yeah. Bam.
Cecil Cornejo: Bam.
Baylee Cornejo: It’s okay, I have the Filipino drive. It’ll get done.
Cecil Cornejo: When’s it due?
Baylee Cornejo: Wednesday.[00:30:00]
Cecil Cornejo: That’s the Filipino way . Procrasination. Procrastination. Yup.
Baylee Cornejo: Oh my gosh. Thank you so much, Uncle Cecil. I appreciate all of your time.
Cecil Cornejo: You’re welcome.
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