Spring 2024 Interviews

Title: Spring 2024 Interviews
Description: Spring 2024 Interviews from Prof. Colleen Woods (IMMR400) and Prof. Anne Rush (HIST 465) at the University of Maryland.

Collection Items

Item Oral History IT motherhood ...2 more

Interview with Jane Doe (pseudonym)

This interview between Adegbemisola Onitiri and Jane Doe (pseudonym) details Doe’s experiences as an immigrant. It explores the triumphs and struggles of her time in the United States. Additionally, this interview reveals the nature of Jane Doe’s experiences growing up in a polygamous family in Ogun state, Nigeria, the values that were emphasized in her family, and how those values impact the way she raises her children.

***This interview transcript is restricted to the University of Maryland College Park's campus. For more information, contact the Center for Global Migration Studies (globalmigration@umd.edu).***

This interview was conducted as part of an undergraduate final project for the University of Maryland, College Park course HIST465 (Spring 2024). This course was led by Professor Anne Rush of the Department of History, College of Arts and Humanities, and was sponsored by the Center for Global Migration Studies.
Item Oral History Caribbean Dominica ...4 more

Interview with Samuel Price (pseudonym)

This interview between Sydney Black and Samuel Price (pseudonym) explores Price’s path of immigration from Dominica to the United States. Samuel is a graduate student in his mid-30s. In this interview, he shares his experiences living in Dominica, Florida, Trinidad, and Maryland. Price’s interview covers experiences with racism, shifts in identity, racial and ethnic presentation, and open-mindedness.

***This interview (transcript only) is restricted to the University of Maryland College Park's campus. For more information, contact the Center for Global Migration Studies (globalmigration@umd.edu).***

This interview was conducted as part of an undergraduate final project for the University of Maryland, College Park course HIST465 (Spring 2024). This course was led by Professor Anne Rush of the Department of History, College of Arts and Humanities, and was sponsored by the Center for Global Migration Studies.
Item Oral History assimilation Belgium ...4 more

Interview with Luis Martinez

This interview between Emma Hall and Luis Martinez explores Luis’s experiences as the son of a Mexican diplomat. He lives in the United States on a diplomatic visa (through his father) so he is not an immigrant, although many of his experiences mirror those of immigrants. He explains his childhood moving history, recounting his move to Brussels, Belgium at the age of 3 and move to Maryland, USA at the age of 10. He discusses cultural differences between Mexico, Belgium, and the US and his experiences with and in his various homes. He emphasizes the value of adaptability and open-mindedness throughout his interview. He also speaks on how religion and school, specifically the International Catholic school he attended, shaped his view of the world. Luis also reveals the struggles of employment as an A1, or diplomatic, visa holder. He touches on the struggle of assimilation in new countries, employment struggles, and cultural gaps between European, North, and South America.

***This interview is restricted to the University of Maryland College Park's campus. For more information, contact the Center for Global Migration Studies (globalmigration@umd.edu).***

This interview was conducted as part of an undergraduate final project for the University of Maryland, College Park course HIST465 (Spring 2024). This course was led by Professor Anne Rush of the Department of History, College of Arts and Humanities, and was sponsored by the Center for Global Migration Studies.
Item Oral History Democratic Republic of the Congo education ...4 more

Interview with Marie-Cécile Groelsema

This interview between Dora-Marie Groelsema and Marie-Cécile Groelsema explores Marie-Cécile’s experiences as an immigrant to the United States from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Seeking to advance her education, she moved to the US in 1987 to Pittsburgh to study English at University of Pittsburg. Then she moved to Indiana and studied comparative literature with a minor in film studies and African studies at Indiana University. Marie-Cécile’s interview explores her education experience in the US and in other countries, her family memories, and her refusal to identify as an immigrant.

***This interview is restricted to the University of Maryland College Park's campus. For more information, contact the Center for Global Migration Studies (globalmigration@umd.edu).***

This interview was conducted as part of an undergraduate final project for the University of Maryland, College Park course HIST465 (Spring 2024). This course was led by Professor Anne Rush of the Department of History, College of Arts and Humanities, and was sponsored by the Center for Global Migration Studies.
Item Oral History Computer Science India ...4 more

Interview with Manoharan Chelladurai

This interview between Alexander Chen and Manoharan Chelladurai explores Murali's experiences as an immigrant to the United States from Tamil Nadu, India. Chelladurai tells of his experiences growing up in a rural village in India and his educational upbringing. He also gives information of how he immigrated to United States to work at Wall Street in 2003 and later moved to the DMV area in 2013, to have a calmer way of life. Chelladurai’s interview focuses on the importance of education, and how his education allowed him to succeed, strive here in America, and why education should be highly valued in society.

***This interview is restricted to the University of Maryland College Park's campus. For more information, contact the Center for Global Migration Studies (globalmigration@umd.edu).***

This interview was conducted as part of an undergraduate final project for the University of Maryland, College Park course HIST465 (Spring 2024). This course was led by Professor Anne Rush of the Department of History, College of Arts and Humanities, and was sponsored by the Center for Global Migration Studies.
Item Oral History America earthquake ...4 more

Interview with Cecia Turcios

This interview between Abigail Carbajal and Cecia Turcios explores Turcios’ experiences as an immigrant to the United States of America from El Salvador. Her father had moved to the United States ten years before and was working to get them to move here. Eventually, he was able to obtain green cards for Turcios and her mother and moved them over here to start a better life. Turcios’s interview touches on her struggles with her educational dreams after moving and to find motivation to pursue her dreams in such a big country without knowing English. Until this day Turcios emphasizes the importance of having a person to teach you that education is important and how she continues to do this for her own kids.

***This interview is restricted to the University of Maryland College Park's campus. For more information, contact the Center for Global Migration Studies (globalmigration@umd.edu).***

This interview was conducted as part of an undergraduate final project for the University of Maryland, College Park course HIST465 (Spring 2024). This course was led by Professor Anne Rush of the Department of History, College of Arts and Humanities, and was sponsored by the Center for Global Migration Studies.
Item Oral History civil war cultural transition ...5 more

Interview with Lizzett Contreras

This interview between Daniela Lopez and Lizzett Contreras explores Lizzett’s experiences growing up in El Salvador, her family dynamics, and the reasons behind their immigration to the United States. Contreras provides vivid insights into her childhood, education, and the challenges her family faced due to the political unrest in their home country.

This interview was conducted as part of an undergraduate final project for the University of Maryland, College Park course HIST 465 (Spring 2024). This course was led by Professor Anne Rush of the Department of History, College of Arts and Humanities, and was sponsored by the Center for Global Migration Studies.
Item Oral History America Bangladesh ...4 more

Interview with Nayon Mia

The interview between Jannatul Mia and Nayon Mia delves into Nayon's experiences as an immigrant from Bangladesh to America. In 1993, Nayon, a Bengali, sought a better life in the United States. He recounts his upbringing in Satbiriya, Kumilla, Bangladesh, where he endured the hardships of war, pursued his education, and worked as a diesel mechanic for over 12 years. The interview details his journey to obtaining a visa and better income opportunities upon arriving in America. Nayon's narrative highlights the significant role of family and the cultural responsibility placed on him as the eldest son to provide for his parents and siblings, as well as his own wife and children. Throughout the interview, he emphasizes the importance of family and the need to secure financial stability, which influenced many of his critical life decisions.

***This interview is restricted to the University of Maryland College Park's campus. For more information, contact the Center for Global Migration Studies (globalmigration@umd.edu).***

This interview was conducted as part of an undergraduate final project for the University of Maryland, College Park course HIST465 (Spring 2024). This course was led by Professor Anne Rush of the Department of History, College of Arts and Humanities, and was sponsored by the Center for Global Migration Studies.
Item Oral History immigrant Panama ...3 more

Interview with Argentina McCarthy

This interview between Caleb McClatchey and Argentina McCarthy explores Argentina’s adolescence in Panama and her adult life as an immigrant in the United States. Growing up in the small town of David, she speaks about Panamanian culture and navigating poverty and political turmoil in her teen years. Argentina intertwines her immigration experience with her older sister’s, recounting the sacrifices she and her mother made in Panama to allow her sister to immigrate first. While Argentina did not want to immigrate, she was forced to come study by her mother and arrived to the United States in 1969 at age 18. Argentina discusses her struggles learning English and making ends meet upon initially arriving. She highlights the different roles she has had in her time here: a stay-at-home parent, then a high school Spanish teacher, and now a grandparent.

This interview was conducted as part of an undergraduate final project for the University of Maryland, College Park course HIST 465 (Spring 2024). This course was led by Professor Anne Rush of the Department of History, College of Arts and Humanities, and was sponsored by the Center for Global Migration Studies.
Item Oral History business China ...6 more

Interview with Jiwu (George) Chen

This interview between Lori Zhao and George (nickname) Chen, a Chinese immigrant and explores George’s experience as a Chinese immigrant in the U.S. George was born in Tianjin, China, and grew up under socialist China. Throughout his childhood, China’s economic and political policies began to change, which impacted George’s career opportunities and trajectories. George’s interview discusses differences between his experiences in the U.S. and China, his educational background during China’s transitional period, and the different career trajectories he has followed over the course of his life.

This interview was conducted as part of an undergraduate final project for the University of Maryland, College Park course HIST 428M (Spring 2024). This course was led by Professor Anne Rush of the Department of History, College of Arts and Humanities, and was sponsored by the Center for Global Migration Studies.