This site uses Google Analytics to track site traffic and other metrics. If you would like to allow the use of Google Analytics please click Opt In below. This will associate a cookie with your browser.
Edwarda M. Buda-Okreglak discusses immigrating from Poland to the United States as a young girl in the 1960s. She especially focuses on her education in the U.S. and her journey towards becoming a medical doctor. Dr. Buda-Okreglak also illuminates the Polish-American community of the mid-Twentieth century.
Dr. Manu Manohar discusses his education in biochemistry, comparisons and contrasts between American and Indian cultures as well as employment in USA in this comprehensive interview with his son.
The individual interviewed preferred to remain anonymous. For this reason, specific names have been removed from the text. Whenever this occurred, it has been noted. The interviewee details her childhood in India before coming to the United States as a young woman entering into an arranged marriage. She details her experiences as a working mother of two in a different culture as well as the process of becoming an American citizen.
Kachisiso Achebe (pseudonym) describes the transition from Nigeria to the United States, differences in culture, the effect of the economy on immigrants and their employment, as well as education in the USA.
Natalie Neighbors (pseudonym) is a 33 year old Western German Native who grew up and lived in Germany for 29 years. She attended the University of Mainz and earned a Master’s Degree. In 2007 she met an American Airman that was stationed in Germany at Ramstein AF Base. They had a daughter, moved to RAF Alconbury, England in 2009, and married in 2010. In 2013, Natalie’s husband received orders to move to Fort Meade, Maryland that prompted her to obtain her green card. While three months pregnant with her second child, Natalie moved her daughter, dog, and all their belongings to Maryland where her husband was waiting for them. Natalie tells a story of experiencing culture shock and missing her native German customs. Her family has to find a balance between the differences in her German culture and her husband’s American culture while raising two dual German and American citizen children.
Asha Simon chronicles her journey from South Africa to Thailand to the United States. Her journey addresses issues of cultural adjustment, discrimination, and family.
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.
The following is a transcript of an interview of Regine Dunlap by her son, Kevin Dunlap, that took place on October 11, 2015 in Suitland, Maryland, U.S.A. The interview was done as a class assignment for “Foreigners as Citizens: Recording Oral Histories of Immigration” to record oral histories of immigrants settling in the DC metro area. Over the course of the interview, Kevin asks questions about Mrs. Dunlap’s life in America versus her life in Germany. She responds with some of her experiences in both countries. Kevin also asks her about her immigration to the United States and her reasoning behind settling in the DC metro area. At the end, Mrs. Dunlap talks about some of her political ideas.
[Name Redacted] is a 19 year old first generation Sri-Lankan Immigrant. Sinhalese, Buddhist and Queer by birth, he’s lived a largely happy life despite feeling like an outsider in the places they should feel at home. This transcript details some of his life experiences and the formation of a rich and complex identity informed by a vast array of life-events. Specifically, the narrative focuses on their decision and process of coming and living in United States. Initially, he came to America seeking an education but in many ways he has found acceptance and a place that he belongs. This process has greatly influenced his life and how he relates to history.
This interview was conducted as part of an undergraduate final project for the University of Maryland, College Park course HIST428M: "Foreigners as Citizens: Recording Oral Histories of Immigration" (Fall 2015). This course was led by Professor Anne Rush of the History Department, College of Arts and Humanities, and was sponsored by the Center for the New America
