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Interview with Iman (Pseudonym)
Iman was born in Shiraz, Iran in 1969. His early life was riddled with tremendous loss and tragedy going through the Iran revolution and Iran and Iraq war. By the time Iman was 21 he had lost both his parents and served in a brutal war. Iman was set to make most of his life after the war being a big partier in his 20s. Questions about his early life came back once the dust settled later in life. In his 30s he met his wife and immigrated to the United States to find a career as a chef and become a father of two. Iman’s life is an example of the complexity of the human condition from tragedy, restlessness, resilience then to the ambiguity of healing.
***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 HIST 428M (Spring 2023). 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. -
Interview with Suet Vu
In this interview, Jade Shaw interviews Suet Vu and her experience as a young immigrant from Hong Kong to America. Suet Vu immigrated when she was 11 years old to Potomac, Maryland, and battled middle school as a non-English speaking immigrant with no friends or help. In time she was able to immerse herself and form an American identity, but later as an adult, she had to face the Anti-Asian semitism that came with COVID-19, which made her feel out of place. In this interview, we break down even more details about her life such as her childhood in Hong Kong, her family and children, her jobs in America, long-distance friendships that originated in Hong Kong, and most importantly, how happy she is to have been through it all.
***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 HIST 428M (Spring 2023). 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. -
Interview with Mehrdad Naderi
This interview of Mehrdad Naderi, conducted by Sheisa Naderi, outlines Mehrdad’s experiences as an Iranian immigrant to the United States. Hoping to further pursue his education, Mehrdad immigrated to the DMV area in 1979, right around the time of the Iranian Revolution and the Hostage Crisis. He explains how the timing of his immigration impacted his ability to settle into America. Through his interview, he also recounts his experience as a foreign student in the United States and the many different struggles that came along with it, specifically the financial ones. He explains the many different jobs and responsibilities he had to take on just to make it in this country, when so many others couldn’t. He asserts the importance of hard work and dedication and just how far they can get you, using himself as an example.
***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 HIST 428M (Spring 2023). 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. -
Interview with Mary Tsiolas
This interview is between Aidan Lambiotte and his aunt, Mary Tsiolis, a Greek Canadian immigrant to the United States. As the daughter of Greek immigrants to Quebec, Mary depicts her early childhood, and experiences growing up in both Greece and Monrtréal during the 1960s - 1970s. She draws stark contrasts between her experiences in Canada and her initial time as an immigrant in America, touching heavily on the themes of isolation, microaggression, and white suburban hegemony in the United States. She ultimately uses her experiences to illustrate the manner in which she found community in the DC area, entirely outside of Greek or Canadian culture, as well as her love-hate relationship with American identity.
This interview was conducted as part of an undergraduate final project for the University of Maryland, College Park course HIST 428M (Spring 2023). 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. -
Interview with Ratnakar Katre
This interview between Avani Katre and her father, Ratnakar Katre, delves into his childhood, overcoming the struggles of poverty, and finding his way to America to build a life for him and his family. He explains the difficulties of attaining his education and of finding a job in his chosen career field as well as the unique challenges of chasing ambition from rural India. The interview also explores the experiences of an immigrant coming on a work visa and becoming a naturalized citizen, hinting at the exploitation by companies of these immigrants. Throughout the interview Ratnakar focuses on his work ethic, his ambition, and gratefulness even in the face of all his struggles in both India and the U.S.
***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 HIST 428M (Spring 2023). 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. -
Interview with Bob (Pseudonym)
This interview transcript between Neil Vu and Bob [pseudonym] shares his immigrant story from his former country to U.S. migration. His immigrant experience portrayed his life that represented his educational background as well his remembrance of obtaining student visa to living that he had never encountered before. A former teaching assistant at his graduate school in Kansas City, his involvement in higher education had something he wanted to teach about one day at a top-ranked business school in the DMV area which he would never forget working with students in the classroom that he loved in his career. His passion for teaching at a business-related field had something that he admired to do, in which he wanted to focus on his academic track. His interview therefore showed how it is to be living in the U.S. with an educational background that can change others in the academic community.
***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 HIST 428M (Spring 2023). 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. -
Interview with Marta Woodward
This interview between Maggie Welsh and Marta Woodward looks at why she came to the United States and her thoughts of the United States when she got here. Marta immigrated to the United States from Ethiopia, but there were other stops on the way. Marta talks about the other places she has lived in between Ethiopia and the United States. She recaps living in Ethiopia, moving to Kenya when she was four years old, going to college in London, and then moving to the United States. She speaks about growing up in the revolution in Ethiopia, getting denied a student visa application, reuniting with family in the United States, passport issues, and race issues in the United States. She also talks about being the minority in the United States after coming from being in the majority.
This interview was conducted as part of an undergraduate final project for the University of Maryland, College Park course HIST 428M (Spring 2023). 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.