A Mother’s Love: Strength in the Struggle
Introduction A mother’s love transcends physical, political, and social boundaries as she sacrifices all she knows in hopes of creating a better life for her children and grandchildren. I have always admired the maternal figures in my life: both my mom and my Lola....
From Romania to the USA: an Interview with Lucian Blindu
Introduction Upon hearing about this assignment at the beginning of the semester, I was at a loss for who I would interview. I briefly considered the idea of interviewing the relatives of my friends, but no opportunity directly jumped out at me. This abruptly...
From Honduras to America: The Journey Towards Citizenship
Introduction Migration shapes lives and has a significant influence on identity, culture, and the sense of belonging. For those such as Kathia Mock, the journey involves experiences of separation, adaptation, and personal growth. I was interested in interviewing...
From Mexico to America: Teenage Dreams
Introduction Migration is often a complex and deeply personal process, shaped by a combination of individual circumstances, systemic factors, and global dynamics. Jose Perucho’s migration story, as captured in a detailed interview, offers a vivid example of the...
Sylvia’s Journey
On November 25, 2024, I had the unique honor of doing an interview with Ms. Sylvia Molina, who was aided by her daughter, Ms. Marisol Cardona-Ortiz. My mother recommended these lovely ladies to me after asking her coworkers for help with this endeavor. The...
I’ll Never Forget: Adapting to the U.S. from El Salvador
Introduction Growing up I always knew that my parents were immigrants and that that meant that our lives were going to be different than the lives of my other school peers whose parents were not migrants. I would hear little stories, here and there, about their...
A Teenager’s Journey from Guatemala to Virginia
Introduction Growing up in Alexandria, Virginia, I was constantly surrounded by the culture and influences from immigrants in the area. Alexandria, Virginia is an extremely diverse area with many different cultures. From cuisine, to friends, to ideas, to the type...
Habeshas in the USA
Methodology: To conduct an interview with my mother about her journey as an immigrant in the United States, I will use a semi-structured approach, allowing for open-ended questions that encourage detailed responses while maintaining focus on key themes such as her...
From a teen living in peru to calling U.S.A home
Introduction Linda Rios’ migration story is a window into the complex realities of global migration, family dynamics, and the multifaceted processes of integration. Born in Peru, Linda migrated to the United States at the age of 15, following a path shaped...
From Bolivia to America: Finding Home in the Unfamiliar
Background Rafaella Navarro was born in Bolivia, in the capital city of La Paz. She describes La Paz as quite urban, sharing that because it is the capital, there are a multitude of businesses, hotels, and tourists in the area. “When you think of urban life,...
Luis Brem’s Journey: From Dominican Republic to Embracing American Dreams.
Introduction: Immigration has always been a staple in American society, from all walks of life, over the course of hundreds of years. Given my responsibility to find someone that could give me a first hand account on immigrating to the United States, I couldn’t be...
From Occupation to Immigration: The Journey of my Palestinian Father.
Introduction: The immigrant journey is often filled with challenges and opportunities. It is an act of courage to leave one’s homeland in hopes of a better chance to lead to a better future. I had the privilege of interviewing my father, Nureldin Azhmi Abdeen. A...
Defending Justice & Living The American Dream: Eduardo Balarezo’s Edition
Introduction: Immigrant stories often carry layers of resilience, sacrifice, and untold truths that shape not only their individual identity, but the communities they belong to. Immigration stories are essential threads in the fabric of the United States, which is...
From Accra to America: A Story about Expectations, a New Life, and Tradition
Introduction Growing up in Alexandria, Virginia, I was exposed to a lot of immigration being brought up in an extremely diverse area. Many people I knew and were friends with were either first or second-generation immigrants, which I am extremely grateful for the...
Roots of Resilience: An Iranian Refugee’s Journey of Navigating American Culture, Defying Gender Norms, and Honoring Familial Bonds
Introduction Before taking this class, the word “immigrant” unsettled me. My only source of information—the media—often portrayed immigrants as threats: criminals, burdens on the economy, or unwelcome outsiders. These portrayals shaped my understanding, presenting...
Adjustments and Connection: The Journey of a Marine
Introduction For this interview project, I decided to interview my father, Jose Alvarez, who was born in Torréon, Coahuila, Mexico in 1967, and immigrated to Chicago, Illinois, when he was almost three years old. In the interview, I asked how his experience as a...
How COVID forced migration from Peru to the United States
Introduction: I picked one of my old friends from high school to interview. Her name is Veronica Chavez Teves. Veronica immigrated to the United States at age sixteen years old. While conducting this interview I have learned more about Veronica’s hardship and...
For a Better Quality Life: My Father’s Journey to America
For a Better Quality Life: My Father's Journey to America Introduction Throughout this semester we dived into all aspects of immigration during class lectures and readings. Many aspects of immigration were brought to light from migration, integration, and...
From 3rd World to 1st World
Introduction The shape of an immigrant’s experience is formed by the challenges of leaving one's native land, navigating a foreign society, and ultimately building a new home. For Jason, an immigrant from an orphanage in Ghana, the journey to becoming a part of the...
Migration Journey of Gabby
Introduction I chose to interview my aunt Gabby because, like many others brought to the U.S. as children, her migration story offers a unique lens into the challenges and opportunities faced by undocumented youth. I was curious about how her experiences compared...
Three Days from Home: The Life of Lupe Knott
Introduction Virginia may not be viewed by the general public as a big immigrant destination, but immigrant communities in the Shenandoah Valley are growing day by day. This demographic change is more noticeable in cities like Harrisonburg, as we have discussed,...
From Cuba to America: A Journey of Integration and Opportunity
While the taste of discontent spreads across the United States and becomes a normality for many Americans, only fourteen percent of the country’s population obtain the firsthand realities and perspectives of a struggling nation. In this report, an analysis of an...
From Cambodia to the OR
From Cambodia to the OR Introduction: For my interview, I was fortunate enough to interview my Aunt's good friend who is family to us. His name is Sihong Suy and he goes by Si, and he came to the United States at around 10 years old from Cambodia. Through...
From Adventure to Family: The Story of Liselotte Hagen
Introduction People around the world have been uprooting their lives and moving to completely different countries for centuries. The cause of this immigration is the result of many different factors. From wars, famine, and political unrest in home countries, to...
From Mexico to the United States
Introduction During the semester, I understood more about immigration. I have gained a lot of new insight and a better way to analyze information during the semester. I decided for this interview to interview my best friend Milissa Gomez. I decided to interview...
From Nepal to America: A Success Story
For this project, I chose to interview Sam Thompson with the help of his wife, Allison. I first had the privilege of meeting the Thompsons when Sam bought the Coldstone store that I worked at and became my boss. Getting to interview him and learn more about his...
From Cuba to the United States, A Path to Citizenship
Introduction All throughout this class, I was able to learn more and more about the struggles of immigration and how this has affected people and their trip to the United States. When I first learned of this project, I had no idea on who to interview, but...
Food For Your Seoul
Background I decided to interview my mother, Michelle Ko, who is a former immigrant. Michelle was born in Uijeongbu, South Korea, near the DMZ, where the U.S. Army base is located. In 1980, Michelle’s family immigrated to the U.S. with help from her aunt, who was...
From the Simple Life to Everything the U.S. Has to Offer
Introduction From the simple life in Brazil to the American Dream with all it has to offer, this is the story of Martinha Plonka. I first met Mrs. Plonka in the 6th grade as my teacher the first year I was homeschooled. She has been my teacher for many years and...
Crossing Borders: From Warrington to Massanutten
Introduction When organizing this interview, I learned that Mrs. Wills was visiting England for a family event. To accommodate the five-hour time difference, we carefully planned the timing of our Zoom call. Once the consent form was completed, I prepared a list of...
From the Philippines to the United States: Christy’s Journey
Introduction Immigration has always been an interesting topic that I’ve sought to learn more about. I wanted to understand the push-pull factors and how immigration affects globalization and culture, which led me to take this class. Growing up with a diverse...
From Formosa to the Land of the Free: Catherine’s Immigration Journey
IntroductionFor the Immigrant Interview project, I interviewed my mother, Catherine, who immigrated to the United States (U.S.) in 1997. Throughout the project, I explored how she dealt with integration, assimilation, and how individuals in this new country...
From Seoul to the States: A Life Shaped by Migration & Service
Introduction: I chose my mom’s older brother, my uncle, to interview. His name is John Kim, and he immigrated to the United States from Seoul, South Korea when he was two years old. The move was shaped by a marriage that provided the foundation for a life filled...
From Curiosity to Citizenship: My Mother’s Immigration Story
Introduction Immigration has always been a cornerstone of personal transformation and cultural exchange. But for my mother, a Swedish immigrant to the United States, this journey was driven not by necessity, but by curiosity and a spirit of adventure. As her...
Different Worlds Coming Together: Creating a Life Together in a New Place
Introduction: Lucky and Santi are an amazing couple that I have gotten the privilege to meet. Lucky is my boyfriend's coworker and through her I have been able to meet Santi. I was struggling to find someone to do this interview with, but they were extremely...
From the Land Down Under.
Intro For this project, I chose to interview my mother, Anne Beasley, about her immigration story. Her journey from Sydney, Australia, to the United States in the 1990s is one that shaped not only her life but also the life of our entire family. She moved to the...
Marshmallows & Other Topics: From Egypt to America
Introduction When tasked with this assignment, I knew almost immediately who I wanted to interview. Denise Naguib serves as my manager at Marriott International Headquarters and is the Global Vice President of Sustainability & Supplier Diversity. She is among...
From Hungary to America; Ilona Benham’s Escape
INTRODUCTION When I was first told that we had to interview an immigrant who came to America, I immediately thought of my grandmother, Ilona Benham. Growing up, I have heard a few stories over the years about her journey escaping Hungary and I thought this would be...
Journey Across Borders: Story of Immigration and Family Bonds
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...
An Unexpected Journey, from Greece to the United States
Introduction: For hundreds of years, individuals have immigrated from all over the world. Immigration has shaped our world in numerous ways, through the integration of culture, traditions, and more in society. Individuals have varying reasons for immigrating, such...
Crossing Borders: Journey of Resilience, Faith, and Cultural Understanding
Introduction: I chose one of my father’s pharmacists for my interview. His name is Michael Azab, and he immigrated to the United States from Egypt when he was 22 years old. Through this interview, I learned about Mike’s life before migrating and the cultural,...