Browse Items (31 total)
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Interview with Vasanthi Kandsamy
This interview between Bala Govindaraju and Vasanthi Kandsamy discusses Vasanthi’s experience growing up in India and migration to the United States. Vasanthi recounts her experience in the Indian educational system, family relationships, and labor migration. She also considers her racial-ethnic identification in India and the US. Vasanthi reflects on the difficulties communicating with family back home and family reunification. Throughout the discussion, Vasanthi shares how much had changed since her migration -- from the city side to increasing educated migrants moving to foreign countries for better opportunities.
***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 IMMR400 (Spring 2024). This course was led by Professor Colleen Woods of the Department of History, College of Arts and Humanities, and was sponsored by the Center for Global Migration Studies. -
Interview with Oleg Obolensky
This interview between Claire O’Donnell and Oleg Obolensky discusses Oleg’s journey from Russia to the United States in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to complete postdoc research for one year on a J-1 visa. After he returned back to Russia, Oleg then traveled back to Pittsburgh to continue his research with an NSF NATO funded grant opportunity. In Pittsburgh, Oleg had his first son; then, he returned to Russia after one and a half years after his grant expired. After four months in Russia, Oleg moved to Frankfurt, Germany to work at the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies. After remaining in Germany for a few years and having his second child, once Oleg’s first son reached school age, his family moved to permanently settle in Rockville, Maryland, where he currently works at the National Institute of Health. By mapping and sharing his immigration journey, Oleg describes assimilation into the United States compared to Germany and living through the collapse of the Soviet Union. Throughout this discussion, Oleg discusses how he received each work opportunity as being based on “luck”, presenting a theme of things happening to him by chance. Oleg’s story offers insights into how after the Fall of the Soviet Union, scientific collaboration between scientists in Russia, the United States, and Germany worked together to bridge research. In turn, these insights reveal how each scientific endeavor influenced Oleg’s immigration story.
This interview was conducted as part of an undergraduate final project for the University of Maryland, College Park course IMMR400 (Spring 2024). This course was led by Professor Colleen Woods of the Department of History, College of Arts and Humanities, and was sponsored by the Center for Global Migration Studies. -
Interview of Venkat Raghavan
This interview between Nitsan Scharf and Venkat Raghavan explores Raghavan's experiences as an immigrant to the United States from India.
***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 THET428I (Spring 2017). 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. -
Interview of Tegest Kebede
This is an interview with Tegest Kebede conducted by Abel Dereje. In this interview, Tegest describes living in Ethiopia as a child and her personal experiences with the Derg, the military junta that ruled the country from 1974 to 1991. Tegest also speaks about her education in Ethiopia, the ways that her family helped her move to the United States, and how she learned English.
This interview was conducted as part of an undergraduate final project for the University of Maryland, College Park course IMMR 400 (Spring 2020). This course was led by Professor Robert Chiles of the Department of History, College of Arts and Humanities, and was sponsored by the Center for Global Migration Studies. -
Interview of Shenjuti Karem
This interview between Alicia Grace and Shenjuti Karem explores Karem's experiences as an immigrant to the United States from Bangladesh.
***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 THET428I (Spring 2017). 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. -
Interview of Seema Parekh
This interview between Nina Parekh and Seema Parekh explores Parekh's experiences as an immigrant to the United States from India.
This interview was conducted as part of an undergraduate final project for the University of Maryland, College Park course THET428I (Spring 2017). This course was led by Professor Esther Lee of the School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies, and was sponsored by the Center for Global Migration Studies. -
Interview of Ramchandra Rao
This interview between Ajay R. Mysore and Ramchandra Rao explores Rao's experiences as an immigrant to the United States from India. Rao moved to the United States in 1969 following a fascination with America’s economic freedom and a sense of boyish adventure. He was not particularly active in cultural life in India, but upon moving to the States, his sense of identity became increasingly tied with his ‘Indian-ness’. He has succeeded in raising a family here and been a proponent of the chain migration that allowed much of his family to settle here. In this interview, Rao discusses his journey to America, the values he holds dear and some wise words on how to succeed in America.
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 2017). 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.
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Interview of Philippe Dessauw
This interview of Philippe Dessauw, a French immigrant to the United States, explores various topics including family, stereotypes, friendships, and employment. Philippe discusses cultural differences between France and the U.S., his work as a software engineer, and the use of technology to retain relationships with family and friends.
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. -
Interview of Nico Alvarez
This interview between Nico Alvarez and Dercem (Derc) Kaya explores Nico's experiences migrating as a child from Spain the United States. Nico discusses his experiences in school, his observations on cultural differences between Spain and the U.S., his parents' careers (which brought them to the U.S.), and the decision and ability to stay in the U.S. once his family moved back to Spain.
This interview was conducted as part of an undergraduate final project for the University of Maryland, College Park course HIST 428M (Spring 2019). 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 of Natalia Siegel
This interview entails the stories of a Ukrainian woman's immigration to America, her life in Ukraine, and describes how she persevered through the immigration system in order to be with the American man with whom she fell in love.
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.