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Oral history interview with Brenda Neri-Wong, 2018 August 22
Overview of the Collection
- Interviewee
- Neri-Wong, Brenda J., 1993-
- Title
- Oral history interview with Brenda Neri-Wong
- Dates
- 2018 August 222018-08-222018-08-22
- Quantity
- 1 gigabyte, (1 online resource (2 audio files (1 hr., 31 min., 18 sec.))) : WAV
- Collection Number
- SR 12287
- Summary
- Oral history interview with Brenda Neri-Wong conducted by Sankar Raman and Briana Ybanez on August 22, 2018, for The Immigrant Story. Neri-Wong came to the United States from Mexico as a child to seek treatment for a blood disorder. She later became a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program recipient.
- 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
Brenda J. Neri-Wong was born in Mexico in 1993. Her parents brought her to the United States at the age of 2 to seek treatment for immune thrombocytopenic purpura, a blood condition that affected her body's ability to form blood clots. The family settled in Oregon soon after. Neri-Wong later attended Portland Community College, and then transferred to Portland State University, where she earned a bachelor of history degree in 2016. She received protections under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and as of 2018 was a graduation coach at Hillsboro High School.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
This oral history interview with Brenda Neri-Wong was conducted by Sankar Raman and Briana Ybanez on August 22, 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, Neri-Wong discusses her family background and the blood disorder that spurred her parents to bring her to the United States in 1995. Neri-Wong continues discussing her family background, particularly her connection to her Chinese heritage, her family's financial situation in Mexico, and their journey to the United States. She talks about moving to Oregon, her education, and learning English as a second language. She also speaks about trying to fit in and make friends, and about her plans to become a teacher. She shares her experience as an undocumented immigrant, the constant anxiety it has caused, and the barriers it placed before her. She discusses attending Portland Community College and transferring to Portland State University, including paying for college and learning to navigate the higher education system as an undocumented immigrant. She then talks about her current job as a graduation coach in the Hillsboro School District. She discusses her status as a recipient of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which provides legal protections for some undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children. She talks about her hopes for the future. She closes the interview by talking about the political climate at the time of the interview in 2018, her experience with white privilege, and working toward systemic change.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Preferred Citation
Oral history interview with Brenda Neri-Wong, by Sankar Raman and Briana Ybanez, SR 12287, 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 Brenda Neri-Wong, "Stepping out of the Shadows" by Briana Ybanez and Nancy E. Dollahite, was based on this interview and published on The Immigrant Story website at https://theimmigrantstory.org/shadows/.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Description | Dates |
---|---|
Oral history interview with Brenda Neri-Wong | 2018 August 22 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- College students--Oregon
- Emigration and immigration law
- English language--Study and teaching--United States--Foreign speakers
- Immigrant children--Legal status, laws, etc.--United States
- Immigrants--Oregon
- Mexican Americans--Oregon
- Undocumented immigrant children--United States
Personal Names
- Neri-Wong, Brenda J., 1993-
Geographical Names
- United States--Immigration and emigration
Form or Genre Terms
- interviews
Other Creators
-
Personal Names
- Raman, Sankar (interviewer)
- Ybanez, Briana (interviewer)