Oral history interview with Nabin Dhimal, 2018 May 19

Overview of the Collection

Interviewee
Dhimal, Nabin
Title
Oral history interview with Nabin Dhimal
Dates
2018 May 19
Quantity
98.4 megabytes, (1 online resource (1 audio file (1 hr. 46 min., 24 sec.)))  :  MPEG-4
Collection Number
SR 12274
Summary
Oral history interview with Nabin Dhimal conducted by Sankar Raman on May 19, 2018, for The Immigrant Story. Dhimal was the child of Bhutanese refugees, and he was born and grew up in camps in Nepal. His family was approved for resettlement in the United States in 2008 and immigrated to Portland, Oregon, where Dhimal attended Portland State University.
Repository
Oregon Historical Society Research Library
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland, OR
97205
Telephone: 503-306-5240
Fax: 503-219-2040
libreference@ohs.org
Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Languages
English

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Nabin Dhimal was born to Bhutanese parents in a refugee camp in Nepal in 1995. After a fire in 2008 destroyed the refugee camp where the family lived, they applied for resettlement in the United States. They were approved the same year and settled in Portland, Oregon. Dhimal attended Portland State University and earned a bachelor of science degree in social science in 2018 and a master's degree in educational leadership and policy in 2020. That year, he also began working as program coordinator for the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

This oral history interview with Nabin Dhimal was conducted by Sankar Raman on May 19, 2018. The interview was recorded for The Immigrant Story, an organization that documents and archives the stories of immigrants and refugees in the United States. In this interview, Dhimal discusses his family's background in Bhutan and his early life in a refugee camp in Nepal, including his education, celebrating Diwali, and a fire in 2008 that destroyed his family's home. He talks about resettling in the United States and adjusting to life in Portland, Oregon. He describes his education in Oregon, including learning English as a foreign language, being bullied, and some of the people who motivated him to do well, particularly his speech teacher, Patrick Gonzales. He also talks about the education and careers of his siblings. He speaks about his college education, being a recipient of a diversity scholarship, and his plans to pursue a post-graduate degree. He closes the interview by discussing his plans for the future.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Preferred Citation

Oral history interview with Nabin Dhimal, by Sankar Raman, SR 12274, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Restrictions on Use

Joint copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society and The Immigrant Story. Use is allowed according to the following statement: In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Acquisition Information

Gift of The Immigrant Story, July 2020 (Lib. Acc. RL2020-018).

Bibliography

An article about Nabin Dhimal, "Determination Born in a Refugee Camp" by Elizabeth Mehren, was based on this interview and published on The Immigrant Story website at https://theimmigrantstory.org/determination/.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Description Dates
Oral history interview with Nabin Dhimal 2018 May 19

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • English language--Study and teaching--United States--Foreign speakers
  • Immigrants--Oregon
  • Refugee camps--Nepal
  • Refugees--Bhutan
  • South Asian Americans--Oregon

Personal Names

  • Dhimal, Nabin

Geographical Names

  • United States--Immigration and emigration

Form or Genre Terms

  • interviews

Other Creators

  • Personal Names
    • Raman, Sankar (interviewer)