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I had many people to choose from for this project because my whole family left their home country but I decided to interview my mother because she’s the strongest person I know. Her immigration story is something we don’t talk about very much as a family so the opportunity that this project gave me was one I wanted to take advantage of. I learned that she’s even stronger than what I thought and it made me reflect on how I would have felt in her shoes. My views on immigration remains mostly the same, I think immigrants are people with tremendous strength.
Thank you for this project Professor!
Allison Coreas

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Completing this assignment brought a new light into me in how I view my mother. While I was always understanding of the immigration journey that my mother went through but having to research the laws and requirements that she had to follow made me that much more grateful. On top of that, understanding the circumstances of the Argentine Depression of 2001 was a cultural awakening. This assignment was very reflective to me.

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I learned more about my grandmother and gained insight into the isolation she and other immigrants felt. I found it fascinating to learn that she felt most at home with immigrants who married Americans rather than immigrants from her home country.

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I AM THANKFUL AND GRATEFUL TO INTERVIEW MY MOM. GLORIA CIFUENTES REVEALS ME TO HAVE COURAGE AND PATIENCE AND TREASURE THE GOOD MEMORIES WITH MY FAMILY. INTERVIEWING MY MOM ENCOURAGE ME TO HAVE TRANQUILITY. MRS. CIFUENTES IS ONE OF MOST KINDEST PEOPLE YOU WILL EVER MEET. GLORIA CIFUENTES IS EMPOWERING, GRACIOUS AND FULL OF BOLDNESS. MRS. CIFUENTES MADE ME EXPAND MY KNOWLEDGE AND HAVE HUMILITY WITH MYSELF AND ALL INDIVIDUALS. I AM PRIVILEGED TO INTERVIEW MY MOM ABOUT HER CHILDHOOD TO THE PRESENT. GLORIA CIFUENTES SHARE WITH ME HER DELICIOUS RECIPES.

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I had the privilege of interviewing my grandfather for my oral history report. I had heard a few stories from his childhood, but it was a special moment for the both of us to sit down and talk as i learned more abut his struggles coming to this country 

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I had the privilege of interviewing my grandfather for my oral history report. I had heard a few stories from his childhood, but it was a special moment for the both of us to sit down and talk as i learned more abut his struggles coming to this country 

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The Oral History project allows me to experience the feeling of the people who made the hard decision to give up their homeland and immigrate to another country. Because of their experiences, I have learned and felt powerful emotions in the stories even though I made the same decision as them. It is a good and direct opportunity to learn about someone's life so I can empathize with their recognition. Immigration is still a very sensitive topic even though it is a crucial part in order for our country to advance further into the future.

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I decided to interview my grandma and honestly, I was nervous to do so because my family actually rarely talks about their experience coming here. I thought it may have opened up old wounds or bad memories but after interviewing her, I learned a lot about what my family had gone through from escaping the Khmer Rouge. Also, her English isn't that great so I had to translate Cambodian into English for the oral history essay. Luckily, I am pretty fluent in the language. I am grateful to my parents for talking to me in our language when I was younger so I can pass it down to my kids when the time comes.

However, I learned a ton about my own history this past week. Watching the film about Don Bonus was very similar to what my family went through since they were in the same war. My family also ended up in San Francisco so it makes me wonder if my family knew his because our community is really small and everyone knows everyone. It was also very interesting and nice to watch because I felt connected and I could understand them speaking the language. I was able to learn his story which also gave me a better understanding of my family history since I come from the same background as well.

- Kathy

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I have known my interviewee for about three years and I learned so much from him as a person and how he came to be the person he is today. It’s always interesting when you feel like you know the person so confidently only to find out and rethink that conception when you do an interview such as this assignment. I really enjoyed learning about my interviewee because it introduced to me many terms and concepts that were unfamiliar to me before.

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Conducting this oral history really allowed me to gain a new perspective of the immigrant experience as I was able to hear from someone who has gone through it themselves. It made me respect how much hard work they put into adjusting to a new life where everything is so different and unknown to them. Especially because they didn't really have anyone to guide them through the process, they had to mostly figure out everything as they went, I think it takes a lot of strength and courage to be able to do what they did in order to live a better life.

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During the interview, I gained an idea regarding the struggles that immigrants face. They face a lot of challenges while trying to immigrate to a new country. However, once they are here, they can encounter even more struggles. I realized that opportunities for immigrants to obtain legal status are quite complex and require many things that immigrants may not have. This shows how these processes are not simple and introduces them to more difficult circumstances.

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Besides learning a little bit about Filipino economy, I learned about how the American dream is passed down through generations. My interviewee thought America was going to give their family ample resources to succeed, but instead it gave them a job and had them work incredible hours under the promise of working their way up. It took some time and a better understanding of capitalism to learn that, although America's economy was better than the Philippines, it was built off of the work of immigrants who didn't actually reap the rewards of their work. This makes the American Dream inherently flawed and misleading. Immigrants are put at a disadvantage, which only adds to their struggle in America

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This oral history allowed me to learn a lot but the biggest would possibly be how truly broken the immigration system is. My interviewee has been here for over 40 years, first arriving at the age of 12 and till the day she is still in that process of gaining legal status. It allowed me to see that she sadly isn't the only one undergoing this process and that there are hundreds of people like my interviewee who are in the same situation. That they've spent more time her in the U.S. than their home country but the system still puts unrealistic expectations on them like leave the country for 10 years to obtain that legal status. Lastly it allowed me to see life through a difficult perspective, a perspective where you fear everyday being your last in this country because your status isn't secured.

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When I was looking for questions for my interviewer, some questions wouldn't have come to my mind as a person living in the state.

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After interviewing my mom, I had a better understanding of her struggles as she was living in the United States.

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I learned that families risk everything to migrate, both intentionally and unintentionally. Sometimes the family bonds may suffer because of the dramatic change in life and customs. There can also be some regret involved and I couldn’t imagine hope it would feel to leave everything behind, and then feel like it wasn’t worth it. It gave me some insight and empathy for the person that I interviewed.

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I have known the person I interviewed for almost 20 years. But I never knew her story about how she came to America. It was so wonderful to hear her talk about herself and her experiences it made me feel connected to her in a way that I never have been before. This experience allowed me to get to know her in a much deeper way. She is a truly extraordinary person, I'm proud to be her friend and so happy to know her better after this interview.

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The interview gave me an alternative understanding of the reasons people come to the U.S. For my interviewee, it was not originally her intention to stay in the U.S. long-term but when she realized it would be best for her family, she gave up her life in her home country to do what was best for them. I learned that it's not a simple choice. It's not just "things are better in this country lets go" but rather a series of decisions and an enormous amount of pressure.

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Well when I first did it.
I didn't know how to approach the topic to the person I interviewed. Just because I know some people are sensitive talking about their own story. But at the end I got to learn much more about the person and how this experience change them. I enjoy yhe process of learning and understanding the other person's views. I felt connected to the person and I am happy I got to do this assignment to learn more about this topic.

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This interview showed me how much different life can be for someone who does not have the same legal status as I do. It also showed me that they have an insight into what it's like to obtain citizenship. Therefore, their criticisms are much more valuable because they participate in the system that non-immigrants create.

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As I was doing some research, I found out about an act called the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996.