Photo citation: Sava Bobov, Seoul, Korea, January 28th, 2018, Unplash.com, https://unsplash.com/photos/city-under-cloudy-sky-eVa2FK83K6w 

Interview Citation

Interview with Maria Sanders, History 150 Spring 2025, Conducted by Audrey Sanders, March 11, 2025.

Overview Assignment: Social Change Interview

In South Korea 1972, Maria moved to the United States at age 9. She now lives in Ashburn, Virginia, where she is a mother and owns a home design and construction company. In this interview, Maria speaks about her immigration experience, the challenges she faced when coming to the U.S., and how her identity as a Korean-American has helped navigate her life.

When Maria arrived in the United States, she faced discrimination because of her background and accent. She remembers being treated unfairly in both school and the workplace. These experiences made her feel isolated while also pushing her to stay strong and hold on to her culture. Maria explains how she has learned to take pride in where she comes from, even when others tried to make her feel otherwise.

Maria also talks about her childhood in South Korea and how much the country has changed since she left. She explains that it was once more traditional and family-focused, but now it has become faster and more modern. This change helps her think about how different life is for people living in both countries and how hard it can be to keep the balance between the two cultures.

Today, stories like Maria’s are important for understanding how immigration, racism, and cultural identity curate people’s lives and viewpoints. Maria believes that while things have improved, there is still much work to do. Her story helps remind us that social change is not just about big events, but rather the everyday experiences of people who continue to face injustice and push for a better tomorrow. 

Biography

Maria Sanders was born in Seoul, South Korea on May 15, 1972. She currently lives in Ashburn, Virginia, with her husband and two daughters. Maria is the proud owner of Adams Creative, a home design and construction company, and a graduate of Virginia Tech, where she earned her degree in Communications and a minor in Psychology. Half of Maria’s extensive family is located in Falls Church, Virginia, close to her residence while the remaining family members continue to live in Seoul, Korea.

In this interview, Maria will discuss her immigration journey, sharing her experiences with both discrimination and injustice in the United States. She will also shed light on her childhood in South Korea compared to the modern-day country, emphasizing the many changes and challenges she has faced. Lastly, Maria shares her perspective on how she identifies her own ethnicity and how her cultural background influences her life in America.

This interview was conducted by Maria’s daughter, providing a more detailed and personal perspective on her experiences as a Korean-American woman, and she uses she/her/hers as her preferred pronouns.

Research Contextualizing the Interview

Maria Sanders’ experiences as an immigrant from South Korea to the United States are formed by the increase in Korean immigration as well as the challenges of discrimination and cultural identity. The history of Korean immigration to the U.S. began in the early 20th century. The first large group of Koreans arrived in 1903 to work in Hawaii’s sugar plantations. After the Korean War from 1950 to 1953, the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 led to an increase in immigration from Asia, including South Korea. This caused a massive growth of Korean immigrants, with many looking for better economic opportunities and stability in the U.S. By 1990, the Korean community had become one of the fastest-growing Asian populations in the U.S. (Migration Policy Institute). 

With these opportunities, Korean immigrants have faced racial discrimination and challenges related to their ethnicity and identity. In the U.S., discrimination against Asian immigrants has been a prevalent issue. Studies have shown that racial discrimination contributes to mental health struggles for Asian American communities (National Institutes of Health). Experiences of exclusion, stereotypes, and racism have molded the way Koreans navigate their identities in the U.S. The 1992 Los Angeles riots showed the tensions between African American and Korean communities, specifically regarding issues of business ownership and cultural misunderstandings (New York Times). These often force Korean Americans to accommodate their ethnic identity with their American identity, leading to difficulty in self-definition.

Maria’s experience connects to the broader ideas of how Asian Americans define their ethnicity and juggle their cultural roots while also adjusting to life in the U.S. The Korean American community continues to flourish with growing Korean cultural centers, businesses, and neighborhoods all helping create an essential part of the U.S. Issues of racial identity and discrimination remain central to the Korean American experience today, impacting how individuals may perceive themselves to both their heritage and adopted country.

Bibliography

Source 1:  Migration Policy Institute. “Korean Immigrants in the United States.” Migration Policy Institute, 2019. [migrationpolicy.org](https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/korean-immigrants-united-states-2019) 

Source 2: National Institutes of Health. “Perceived Racial Discrimination and Mental Distress in Older Adults.” PubMed Central, 2022. [pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9243182/) 

(Peer Reviewed) Source 3:  New York Times. “Koreatown’s Role in the Los Angeles Riots.” The New York Times, 2021. [nytimes.com](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/29/us/koreatown-los-angeles-riots.html)

About Section Source Description

1. Migration Policy Institute: A nonpartisan that studies immigration and refugee policies to help improve laws and decisions.  

2. National Institutes of Health (NIH) – PubMed Central: A government agency that researches health and medicine and provides a free collection of scientific studies.  

3. The New York Times: A well-known newspaper that reports everything from news, politics, and culture from around the world.

Transcription

AS: Okay, hello, everyone! My name is Audrey Sanders, and I’m here with my mom, Maria Sanders. She will be talking about her journey coming to America from Korea, her immigration process, and how it’s affected her to this day. Ready? 

MS: Ready!

AS: Okay, so first question, can you describe your experience growing up in Korea and how it shaped your view of the world?

MS: Sure. Well, Korea, I think I came over in 1978, and in the 70s, it was still kind of a developing First Nation, first country, you know, I kind of was straddling old and New Korea. I live with my grandparents. Which was really kind of traditional to do. My parents were both in the US already, and they raised me, and they had a very traditional house that had indoor plumbing, kind of one of those floor toilets that you squat over. And then we had a pool where you pump the water through a well, and I had a chicken. I had frogs, and I slept with my grandmother on the floor. We had mosquito netting. You know I sometimes look back on that and feel like it’s almost a different world, a different time. It’s so far removed from my life here today. Yeah, it is amazing. And then, you know, that was my maternal grandparents and my paternal side. They lived in what was traditionally Korean. If you go to the Smithsonian [museum in DC], the compound, kind of like what they lived in, is in the museum. You know, we had the parchment floors, where the holes were underneath, heating the floor. And there were three rooms, a kitchen, a room for my grandfather, and a room where the women slept, and that was basically it, and you took your baths outside into the main courtyard where other families lived as well. And our bathroom was an outhouse. And so I remember being so scared of that outhouse because it was dark, obviously no electricity, I would try to get my dog to come in with me. Rarely did the dog want to come inside as well. But yeah, I mean, so it’s amazing, and I think Korea has changed so much now, and it’s so much more, like, technically advanced in a lot of ways than the US.

AS: I was gonna transition and ask you, what was your first impression of the US? Because I know, like, as you said, it’s very different from Korea. I just want to know your move there, how was it different? Or, how did it differ from what you expected necessarily? 

MS: Yeah, I mean, I think it was sweet, like, naive, our impression of what the US was like, for some reason in my head, and this was when I was seven years old. I don’t know what I saw, but I thought everyone lived in 747s, big airplanes. I don’t know why. I just thought they did, and it’s random. But, you know, I realized, Oh, it’s just, you know, regular houses. I remember thinking the houses were really big compared to, you know, the homes in Seoul because Seoul is smaller than Virginia. So I’m sorry, Korea, South Korea, is smaller than Virginia. So as a-

AS: Oh, wow! 

MS: -As a whole, yeah, yeah. So land is very scarce, and housing is not typically that granted. And I remember being kind of impressed by how large the homes were here. I think, you know, I thought everyone was going to have blonde hair and blue eyes. And I remember everyone took assimilated names like English names or American names. Luckily, I already had a name It’s Maria, it was my baptized name because I was Catholic and so that was kind of easily adapted. But I remember my uncle got a perm because they thought it might make him assimilate better. And I had a perm too, because it felt like, “Oh, you’re supposed to be more American”, yeah, yeah. So those are my first impressions.

AS: All right, well, can you describe a time when you particularly felt connected to Korea, your Korean heritage, while living in the US? Because I know that transition probably was very drastic. I just want to know if you felt like there was any connection back to Korea with moving there at such a young age. 

MS: Oh yeah. I mean, I was homesick, you know. And not knowing the language at all and going to school, it’s kind of lonely, but when you’re a child, you’re maybe not as aware, you know what I mean? And people can be kind and people can be really cruel. So I had a little experience with both. But I think I wanted to try to assimilate. My mom gave us, your grandma, gave us a rule for my sister and me to speak English around the house so that we could learn it faster. And so, sadly, we then got used to speaking to each other in English and lost the language. I can understand, I can say a few things, but I lost the bulk of my abilities. So I don’t think as a child that  I thought about my culture too much. I was too busy trying to assimilate.

AS: To fit in?

MS: Yeah, I was trying to be as American as possible. I remember when we had to learn the words to the Star Spangled Banner. I was like, I have to know this backward and forwards because otherwise, they’re going to know I’m not American. You know what I mean? Yeah, and so that was just, a very childish thing to think about. But I was like, I better know it. And yeah come to find out, like so many Americans don’t know all the words when they’re saying it wrong! And I’m like, oh, okay, so it’s not so American. But like, to me, that meant a lot, yeah.

AS: Just traditional to what you thought? 

MS: Yeah, and I think in a lot of ways, I think about Korea and being Korean more now as an adult because I miss what I didn’t cultivate when I was younger, that I kind of let that part of my past go and so I seek out things that are Korean now, you know? 

AS: I feel like it would almost be nostalgic for you Childhood memories are wrapped up so much in your culture just being in Seoul and everything. 

MS: Yeah it’s also important to keep that side of me alive because it’s it’s-

AS: It’s very important!

MS: It’s a big part of me.

AS: In your experience, what are some challenges just overall immigrants face when adjusting to life in the US? From Korea or any immigrant perspective, having a very heavy transition to the States. Do you think that other people, like immigrants, you can relate to? Or do you think it’s kind of an experience everyone needs to experience individually, like there’s not a lot of similarities?

MS: I think right now, the times are different. And I don’t know what the reception that immigrants are getting today from Americans, you know this was like over 40, 45 years ago, and a lot has changed. But people can be cruel, you know? And they treat immigrants sometimes really dumb because if they can’t understand something, I remember feeling that. 

AS: The language barrier.

MS: Yeah So I think the whole journey of an immigrant and their experiences are probably experiences that every generation can relate to. But I think nowadays people are more open to keeping their culture while still coming to the US, and not like forgetting about that. And I think that’s important. And, you know, I don’t know how this current environment is allowing that. I think there half the Americans are all about, “Oh, yeah, keeping both cultures alive, and you want to be here, but like, yeah, it’s important for you to understand where you come from”. And then there’s the other half that are like, “Well, you’re in America now, you know. And like, forget it. Forget about it”. You know? Like you need to be American. So I don’t know. I mean not to get political, but.

AS: No but speaking of that, that segues into my next question, which was, have you ever encountered discrimination based on your ethnicity, either in Korea or the US? Can you describe one of those experiences for us? If you have one in mind?

MS: Well, I didn’t experience any discrimination in Korea. I mean, just because we’re very homogenous over there, everyone kind of looks like me. So if I received any discrimination, it would have been for something else besides my looks or ethnicity. Oh, yeah. I mean, there have been like, I remember when I was young, like, I was really extremely shy, and so, like, people would say something to me, and I could hardly raise my voice to respond and I remember, I was at like, a CVS, and this woman came up to me and asked, like, Do you know where something is, you know? And I was like, “Oh, I’m sorry. I don’t I don’t work here”. I said that to her, and she didn’t hear what I said, but she was just like, “Ugh another one that doesn’t speak English!” And I was just like, “I do speak English”. 

AS: Oh my.

MS: I was just really shy.

AS: Yeah that misconception.

MS: Yeah, yeah. And then, you know, I mean, there are times, but I try not to like it. I think there was a kid that teased me every day in elementary school. He was a bully, and he, you know, had some racial slurs pointed at me. No one did anything about it, not the bus driver, no other no other kid.

AS: I’m surprised, even the adults in this situation had more of a you would think education when it comes to discrimination. 

MS: I mean hopefully the country has, like, grown up a little and people would step forward like that. But also everyone has phones now, and you can get recorded, and so people think twice.

AS: For sure, yes.

MS: Also, there have been times where I just have to let things go that are kind of like people being silly and asking, like, they just want to make conversations. So they’ll be like, you know, “Oh, like, are you, you know, Are you Japanese?” And I’m like, “No”, “Okay, well, I have a Japanese friend”.

 AS: And it’s like, what does it have to do with me?

MS: It’s like, “Okay, that’s great”, you know, like, but they just want to talk to me, you know, they just want to, like, connect. I try to think of those moments when people say kind of, like, dumb things like that, you know, like, 

AS: yeah, it’s in good nature. 

MS: yeah. It’s just to connect. And so I always try to be very gracious. Just and tolerant of that.

AS: That’s a lovely answer. Okay, this next question is a little heavy, so break it down however you may. But how do you feel about the evolving cultural landscape, specifically in Korea today, especially regarding Immigration and Multiculturalism within that?

MS: Well, I don’t, I don’t keep up too much with Korea right now. You know, the President just declared martial law, and he’s being all crazy. I know there’s like a, I don’t know women have to still fight for everything there. And as many problems as America has had, and I’m not. I’m talking about just up to this point, because this current administration, I don’t know, they’re changing the landscape again, but before, I always thought, okay, there was more opportunity for equality being a woman and being a minority here in the US, and not too sure of that now, not too sure of that now. And I would say in Korea, it’s come a long way, because I think they have held very traditional values, very, you know, male-oriented, male-dominated. I think women still get less pay and, you know, and so they’re, like, not having kids, you know. So they’re just, they’re now, they’re in a bind, because now, like, their population is aging, and they’re not keeping up with the aging population. So that’s, that’s a sign of, like, “Hey, why would I bring children into this world?”, you know? So that’s kind of interesting. But, you know, honestly, I don’t know too much about politics and the situation in Korea.

AS: Okay so what are some of the biggest cultural differences you’ve had to navigate in Korea versus the United States?

MS: Well, I think you know, it’s family. There’s more equality between parents and kids, a little more so than in Korea, it is definitely “you are a child. I am your elder”. And maybe that’s changed too. I mean, because that’s so of course, changing our generation in America too, but I think, like, I don’t think I could probably marry a traditional Korean man. Because of that, I wouldn’t know how to engage with his parents, in the way that they’d want me to.

AS: Yeah you don’t have the same values. 

MS: I mean, it could be the same values, but I wouldn’t know how to show it in the way that they needed you to.

AS: Yeah, in the same way, they would want it. I see, I see. Interesting, interesting. Okay. Next question, can you share how being a mother has shaped your experience in both Korea and the States, and how your role as a mother has been influenced by cultural expectations in either country? I know you didn’t have motherhood in Korea, but I was just wondering more about just being a mother. Did it make you think about Korea more because of your childhood? Did any of that pan over in any sort of way, and did it just kind of change your experience? 

MS: Being a mother I mean since I came over so young, I do feel I have like the mentality of an American, but I have the, I think, the compassion from having straddled both cultures that I understand and so I think being a mother I want to expose my kids to like where I grew up, and it’s important to share your childhood. And like so much of my childhood is there, and it’s probably not in the form that is in my mind, because that’s probably been all bulldozed down all those homes that I lived in. Now it’s very metropolitan and everything like that. But, yeah, It’s just now like reignites the desire to, take my kids, take you guys, you and Alysun [Eldest daughter] to Korea to share the side of me that you’ve never seen, you know? 

AS: Oh, love that answer. Alright last question, what advice would you give to the younger generation about understanding different cultures and just overall curating inclusivity?

MS: I’m sorry, can you repeat that one more time? 

AS: Yes of course. What advice would you give to younger generations about just different cultures and helping spread and curate inclusivity to others?

MS: I would say, to be kind, to be patient. You know, not everyone’s going to be just like you, but the fact that you’re exposed to different cultures, and if you open your mind and heart, it will make you a better person because it will allow you to be more compassionate and to realize that human beings are human beings, and we are all very similar and there are more similarities than differences, you know? And so, and you know, someone who’s, you know, fresh off the boat today, their children will be first generation, and they’ll act just like you. And it’s amazing how you can, it’s hard to say. I mean, look at me. I was seven years old. I wasn’t born here, but I act like a native. And, and that’s because I’ve been here most of my life. And, so the people who may seem so different from you today, tomorrow will not, you know? Yeah, they’ll be just the same. They’ll be just like you. They just might look a little different. Yeah, that’s it.

AS: Very beautifully said. That concludes our interview! Thank you so much for helping me and sharing your experience with us. I love you so much!

MS: I love you too. I love you too. Thank you. This was nice to think about. 

AS: yeah of course!

MS: So I appreciate it. It’s a great experience. Bye-bye. Mwah!

Transcription Process

During the transcription, I kept the Marias voice authentic while also ensuring the text was clear for readers. I followed the Columbia Style Guide to help navigate my transcript as well. I adjusted informal language and speech patterns where needed for clarity. This way the transcript has its readability but can still have an informal tone throughout the interview. 

I used brackets to clarify unclear parts of the speech as well as removing unnecessary filler words like “really” or “yeah,” unless they were important to the idea or flow of the conversation.

The goal throughout this transcription process for me was to keep both the meaning and tone of the interview while making sure the transcript was legible and simple to read. 

Interview and technology process 

This interview was conducted over Zoom due to location differences, I used both the microphone and screen recording software on my computer to capture the audio and video. Before the interview, I pre-tested the technology to make sure it had clear sound and quality.