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This interview between Nicholas Banai and John Zhang explores John's experiences as an immigrant to the United States from China. At 18 years old, John traveled from Zhuhai to the University of California, Davis to get his bachelor's degree. Now a graduate student at the University of Maryland, John discusses his conversion to Christianity and the differences between China and the United States.
This interview was conducted as part of an undergraduate final project for the University of Maryland, College Park course HIST428M (Spring 2019). This course was led by Professor Anne Rush of the History Department, College of Arts and Humanities, and was sponsored by the Center for Global Migration Studies.
This interview between Dolma Gazan and Tenzin Dolma explores Tenzin's experiences as an immigrant to the United States from Tibet. The interview traces Tenzin's experiences in Tibet and growing up under Chinese occupation, and her escape through Nepal and to India, and ultimately her journey to the U.S.
This interview was conducted as part of an undergraduate final project for the University of Maryland, College Park course THET428V (Spring 2018). This course was led by Professor Esther Lee of the Theater Department, College of Arts and Humanities, and was sponsored by the Center for Global Migration Studies.
This interview of Huaying Chen, a Chinese immigrant to the United States, details Huaying's early life in China following the Cultural Revolution. Huaying discusses Chinese politics, education, and the 1989 student movement and Tiananmen Massacre. She also discusses the culture shock she experienced when moving to the United States.
This interview was conducted as part of an undergraduate final project for the University of Maryland, College Park course THET489V (Spring 2018). This course was led by Professor Esther Lee of the Theater Department, College of Arts and Humanities, and was sponsored by the Center for Global Migration Studies.
This interview of Joo H. Moon, South Korean immigrant who moved to the United States when he was nine, focuses on his childhood experiences prior to and after immigrating to the U.S. Joo discusses cultural differences between the United States and South Korea, as well as the role of religion in his life.
This interview was conducted as part of an undergraduate final project for the University of Maryland, College Park course HIST428M: "Oral History of Immigration" (Spring 2018). This course was led by Professor Anne Rush of the History Department, College of Arts and Humanities, and was sponsored by the Center for Global Migration Studies.
The Center for the History of the New America sponsored a booth at the annual Maryland Day celebration at the University of Maryland (2016). In addition to other activities on immigration history, we performed a series of "mini" interviews with some of our visitors.
In 1930, Ok-hi Lee, was born in Seoul, Korea. For several years she experienced what life was like under Japanese occupation until the Japanese surrendered in 1945. Not long after, she witnessed the chaos and destruction of the Korean War. America, with its abundant resources and opportunities for education, became her goal. With the help of a department head at Evanston University, she immigrated in 1957 and finished out a degree in art education. After moving around the New York area, she finally settled down in State College, Pennsylvania with her husband. Together, they raised a family of three sons in a small town they could proudly call their slice of the American dream. This was the new Korean-American family.