Oral History

For this oral history report I interviewed my brother Jorge. He is 18 years old. He has a degree in Computer System Network Administration from Devry University. We were born in Mexico and came to the U.S. at the age of eight and seven respectively. This interview allowed me to learn how it was it for him to have had this change in life and manage to be successful; and the challenges and discrimination he faced in acquiring his education.

What do you like the most about your career?
What I like the most about my career is the broad challenges my field offers in a daily basis. Every costumer has a different problem with different solutions all the time. In this technological advance world we live in, technology evolves every day with similar solutions than the once I have used the previous day. My career forces me to keep updated with the latest computer tricks, tools, and software in the field.

What influenced/lead you to pick that career?
What influenced me in pursuing my career in the computer field was my passion for computers and technology. As I grew up watching computers evolve around me I ambitioned my future working with the wonderful machines that allowed me to type instead of writing with boring pencils. As I entered high school I was part of Time dollar tutoring a non-profit organization that refurbishing computers for the poor in the city of Chicago. Being part of this magnificent group allowed me to explore computers beyond what I ever imagined as a child. As a sophomore I received a letter from Devry University telling me that I qualified to be part of a select group of students from the city to finish high school and earn a college degree at the same time. I was thrilled with the idea of having a college degree at the age of 18, but even better it was a degree in computer; my childhood dream.

What was the hardest thing in acquiring your career?
The hardest thing I faced while acquiring my education was the struggle between high school and college at the same time as well as my social life. Everything was new to me I was a college student at the age of 16 as well as a high school student that wanted to enjoy sports and a social environment. The struggle between the three along with a part time job where hectic but somehow I made up my mind to follow thru with the once in a life time opportunity of college education.

Were you ever discriminated at school for being a Hispanic student?
Yes and no as a child I grew up in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood where pretty much everyone in the school system was Hispanic or had a well define idea of where they were. So as a child I never saw any discrimination being directed towards me. The real threat was when I moved on to college where they were a very high volume of other races other that Hispanics. I believe that Hispanics in the campus only made up about 5% of the total school population including staff. I could remember like it was yesterday that I had a professor for accounting, his name is Mr. Monrob. I would fear entering his classroom because he would always marginalize me in front of the classroom to demonstrate how other countries’ economies worked and would assume I was familiar with every Mexican product he came across with. That made me upset to the point of contacting the deans to solve the issue with his “examples” in class. If it matters the professor is white, I remember him always being nice to my friend who was the only other white person in the room everyone else where Asian or African American. At the end I passed his class with a B instead of the grade I deserved of an A; all because I had reported the issue to the dean. I worked to get that resolved but I was never able to build a concrete case against him.

How did being discriminated affect you and your career ambition?
Being discriminated only made me feel stronger towards proving myself and Mr. Monrob that what he did didn’t affect my career or the goals I had set for myself. Now, I just look back at those moments and laugh thanks to my dedication and the support from my family I have a prosperous career as a computer technician.