Isabella Alpire-Roca  00:03

Hi. My name is Isabella Alpire-Roca. I'm a student at Virginia Commonwealth University, and I'm interviewing Angie Lopez from Manassas Park, Virginia. Today is Thursday, June 20, 2024, and the time is 10:18am. This interview is being conducted over Zoom. Angie, thank you so much for allowing me to interview for this project.

 

Angie Lopez  00:29

Thank you.

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  00:31

Okay, so first I would like to ask some questions about your childhood, how you grew up, where like your family. So could you start off by sharing where your family is from and how you grew up?

 

Angie Lopez  00:29

Yeah, so my mom is from Guatemala, and my dad is from Argentina. I grew up in Los Angeles, California. I was born there, and I stayed there till about 11 years old. And what was the rest of the question? Sorry.

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  01:00

Oh, it was just like your childhood. So, like, yeah, like, how you grew up with who..

 

Angie Lopez  01:06

I grew up with, both of my parents. I had a sister. Me and her are like, five years apart, so she was really little from what I remember being in California. But once we moved to Virginia, we grew closer as she grew older, um, and I just, kind of just grew up with my parents. I didn't really, we didn't have a lot of family in Los Angeles. We had, like, very minimal family. So when we moved to Virginia, it was a big shock to see that I had, like, a lot of more cousins and relatives once we moved here, since everyone was mainly here. 

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  01:46

And you... So you grew up in California until you were 11, and then you moved here to Virginia, to Manassas Park, you said?

 

Angie Lopez  01:55

Yes.

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  01:57

And what was that change? Like? Kind of like, opposed to another.

 

Angie Lopez  02:03

It was very unreal. Um, I this was the complete opposite of what I had known. This is, um, to me, it's a very crowded area, and I can see that now, but when I first moved here, I thought we were basically in the middle of the woods, and I didn't realize we really weren't, but I felt like there was just more people in LA, more culture over there. There was I saw lots of different things. I had my friends. I had, like, established a life over there. And so moving basically from the transition of elementary school into middle school, it was just..  it made it even harder. As well as I was processing a big change to moving across the country, I just felt like alone, and it just felt very scary. I just I didn't like Virginia at first, and I always said I was going to move back, but now I don't think I will.

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  03:03

Yeah, honestly, moving is really hard, especially like from like such a drastic like, it's like so different the places. I moved, all around Nova, but that's incomparable to moving from the West Coast to the East Coast. Um, do you know why your parents decided to move you guys to Virginia?

 

Angie Lopez  03:22

So my parents weren't very satisfied with the life in Los Angeles there was. They had like, financial issues, like my dad was like, in and out of jobs, and they were kind of, like, very alone as well in that situation. Because, like I mentioned, we didn't have a lot of family over there. My family was mainly over here in Virginia, so they kind of had no support. They were struggling because it is a lot of expenses over there. It's very the life over there is very, very different. And they kind of wanted somewhere more safe, more secure for me and my sister as we were growing up instead of somewhere because there was crime happening, because we would live in, like, not the nicest neighborhoods and so and my mom didn't have a job over there, but she was offered a job here in Virginia, and it kind of just all made sense to them to move closer to family, where my mom would also work, and we would be safer.

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  04:26

That makes a lot of sense. And you mentioned how you have, like, a lot of family over here. Is it like both sides of your family that are over in Virginia, or...

 

Angie Lopez  04:39

it's mainly my mom's side of the family that's here, and over the years, more of her family have come since we've been here. So they are all are in the Virginia and like Maryland area. My dad, he's the one that had the family in LA, but it was only his brother. And so the rest of my dad's family is back in Argentina. Like, they don't come here. They don't live here. It was just him and his brother that were in LA. And so they wanted to be with family and that, like, that's my mom's family that's here.

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  05:19

And do you talk to, like, your family from your dad's side, a lot the family that remained in Argentina.

 

Angie Lopez  05:24

Yes, I do a lot.

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  05:25

Have you been back to visit at all?

 

Angie Lopez  05:29

Yeah, I do. I visit. I used to visit kind of regularly, but I haven't been in a while. But my grandma is, like, one of my best friends, and so she me and her are really, really close. I hope I get to go back soon.

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  05:45

Well, that's sweet. I I'm kind of in the same boat where I went to Bolivia a lot when I was a kid, and then as like, I got into high school, I stopped kind of going. Um, and your mom's family here, are you close with them at all?

 

Angie Lopez  06:01

Yeah, very, very close. So my aunt actually lives like one street over from us, so we're like, constantly back and forth at her house or my house.

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  06:10

Oh, that's nice, yeah. And kind of off that topic. Could you tell me about your educational trajectory? I know you're in school right now, but what was like the school here when you were younger? Kind of like that that changed too

 

Angie Lopez  06:30

In Virginia, my school, and like, middle school and high school,

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  06:36

Yeah, kind of like all of your education like, because I know you kind of switched halfway. So just you can, like, start from the beginning. Like, what was school like in California and then over here, too?

 

Angie Lopez  06:48

Um, so when I started school in California, I didn't know, like, a single word in English. I had only been spoken to Spanish. I only knew Spanish. I didn't know I didn't even know how to say hello in English. It was very, very scary, and so I was very, very intimidated. Didn't want to go. I was kind of like, in this like, weird phase of like, I want to go make friends, but I don't want to not be able to communicate with anyone, because I didn't realize how um English was actually like the main language here. Everyone in my area, my neighborhood, everyone spoke Spanish as well, like not just my parents. It was like everyone I was around spoke Spanish. So I got to school, and everyone was speaking English. Everyone was introducing themselves, saying their favorite colors. And I was kind of like, What are you saying? I don't know anything. And so that was a very, very hard start, I would say, because it did take me, maybe until like, third grade to officially get out of, like, the ESL classes and, like, officially feel like I knew English. It was really supportive that there were, like, I said, a lot of students that were Hispanic, and they so they spoke Spanish and they they spoke English and Spanish, but they would be able to talk to me in Spanish and not make me feel like you're I'm the only one that didn't know a single word in English. They kind of, like, helped me translate. They helped me, like, learn words. They helped me basically through that. And then so that was elementary school. It was kind of like a very, very hard time. I was always, like, really negative about school. Then I got over here to middle school, and then again, it felt like the same situation, except I knew the language, but I didn't know anyone, and it was so it was really, really hard as well, because I had, like, established, finally something, and then it was just, like, taken for me as soon as I start Middle School. And so I had to start fresh at this this time I, like, at least knew the language to be able to talk to everyone. But that was very, very hard as well. I got really involved in sports and clubs and everything from an early age, just because that's the only way that I knew how to make friends easily. And then, as well as, like, that's something that I've always loved doing. I did cheer my whole life, and I joined, like some other clubs at school, which has which did help me, and it helped me, like, learn more as well about the area and the people.

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  09:28

That's that's good, though, that you were able to adjust a little easier. It's, it's hard being in, like, the ESL classes and kind of being separated from everyone at such a young age. I was also in ESL. I was like, Oh, why am I over here?

 

Angie Lopez  09:44

Yeah, it was very, very and it just felt very weird being taken out of class and put in, like, a small group and everyone else is, like, learning math together.

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  09:55

Yeah, it's pretty it can be isolating on, like, in a lot of situations. 

 

Angie Lopez  10:00

yeah,

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  10:02

So you graduated from high school here (Virginia) and now you're in school. So what are you studying and where? 

 

Angie Lopez  10:09

So I'm studying Communications at George Mason.

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  10:13

Why did you decide to study communications? 

 

Angie Lopez  10:16

It actually-- I switched my major in college, I started as an education major, and I because I was pretty set, from like kindergarten, that I wanted to be a teacher, I just was like, that's what I want to do when I grow up. I just want to be a teacher. And as I went through college, teaching had a lot of communicate, communication classes that you needed to take in order to go on your path of graduation. And I kind of started liking communications more. I was like, really close with one of my communications professors, and I kind of talked to her, and I was like, Well, I kind of like, I really, really enjoy your class. I really, really enjoy communications. I really love the study of this. And I asked her, like, what are some jobs I could do? What is communications field looks like after college? She kind of gave me the biggest rundown of everything and like, how it's just very broad, and there's lots of opportunities everywhere, and it just, it just felt safer to go down a path that way, especially since teaching isn't as high paid in in the country. So it was, it was really, it was nicer to go down a path that I knew, where I could make at least a little more than teaching from right, right out of college.

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  11:41

That's nice. Yeah, the changing major is always like, it's so common, like people don't think it is, like, I changed my major too. But, and so are you thinking of like going into post grad at all? Or...

 

Angie Lopez  12:01

Yeah, I'm thinking about doing my Masters as well at Mason. 

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  12:06

Okay, that's cool. And so kind of also kind of off topic, but, um, did you grow up with religion?

 

Angie Lopez  12:14

Yeah, I did. 

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  12:17

And could you tell me about it? Like, if you're still religious, and like, kind of how it was.

 

Angie Lopez  12:21

Yeah, I'm Catholic. I've been Catholic since I was basically born. I was actually in Catholic school in California, so I did learn a lot about religion when I moved here. I started public school, but I never lost my faith. I'm really into Catholicism. It's a, it's a very big part of me, actually, yeah, and I don't know what else to say, but yeah, I'm Catholic.

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  12:51

Are you, like, involved in your church a lot here? Or..

 

Angie Lopez  12:55

I used to, when I had more time. I used to be, I used to be like a volunteer religious education teacher.

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  13:06

That's good. No, yeah, it's, it's nice. College kind of makes you not have time for anything really anymore, exactly. So now let's talk about how your we talked about this already, but like, how they came to Virginia. So you your mom's family was already over here. Why did they decide? Do you know? Like, if you know, but do you know why they decided to come to Virginia?

 

Angie Lopez  13:33

Yeah, so it was, like, the financial issues over there, and my mom wasn't, like, she didn't have a job over there and Virginia, just my aunt was here, and she kind of like, helped support us in the beginning. She gave my mom a job, which is, like, something she didn't do over there. She didn't work over there. So it was kind of hard for just my dad to, like, make our financial needs and stuff and so and as well as in the California is the where we were for some, like, a few years. We eventually moved, but it was very, very dangerous. There was a lot of like gang and like crimes happening in our area. There was just random shootings, like at 3am while we were sleeping right outside our window. So it was very, very hard to experience that. And then talking to my mom's family in Virginia, she was like, you know, that's not as common. Like we live in a very quiet, safe neighborhood. We there's just not a lot of you don't see a lot of that over here, and so they kind of felt like it was just important, more important to them, to raise their kids in a safer environment and be able to both work somewhere.

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  14:56

And the family that you already had in Virginia. Do you know why they decided to come here?

 

Angie Lopez  15:04

They... I have no idea why. They just had to come here. It was kind of like a they migrated over to this country together at a, my aunt and my uncle. They came here at a really, really young age, and this is kind of where they ended up. I'm think other people were already here that they knew or had heard of coming to Virginia, the Northern Virginia area specifically. So they kind of just ended up here as well.

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  15:30

And do you know when both of your parents came to the US, like, how, like, if it was at different times? Or

 

Angie Lopez  15:39

Yes, so my mom came in to the 2000 and my dad came like the year prior. So 1999 they were here one year apart.

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  15:52

And they both kind of arrived to Los Angeles. 

 

Angie Lopez  15:56

Yeah, they both were...they both were there for school.

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  15:59

Okay, and what made your dad like, beside like so were they like for school, as in, like, high school or college?

 

Angie Lopez  16:15

College

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  16:17

College, okay. And so your dad came with his brother, or they came at different times?

 

Angie Lopez  16:24

So my my dad's brother, my uncle, was already in LA and so my my dad was like, the little brother that kind of, like, followed the footsteps. And so my uncle had already gone through college, and was like, already out of college, but my dad was like, I want to do exactly what my brother did. I want to go to the same school. I want to be in the same place. I just miss my brother. So he kind of as well went and transitioned to the same school as his older brother. 

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  16:54

Okay, and what school did they go to?

 

Angie Lopez  16:57

USC, University of Southern California. 

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  17:14

That's cool. And besides your mom, your aunt, who's a straight away from you, what other family do you have in the area?

 

Angie Lopez  17:22

My other aunt lives in Maryland, like in the Silver Spring area, so not too far. My uncle lives in like Manassas, like 15 minutes away from us as well. And then we have my two other cousins, who they came recently. They're my uncle's kids, so they're here as well. All of my cousins from each of my aunts are here as well. And that's like it.

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  17:55

I know you said earlier that it kind of felt like you were in the middle of the woods when you first moved here. What was Manassas Park kind of like when you got there, and how has it changed like? Or if it has changed.

 

Angie Lopez  18:09

Manassas Park was like a very, very small town, or it's technically a city. It's, I mean, you lived here, but the Manassas Park, the lines of like the make the city, is literally just one road, the Manassas drive road, and that's all, that's it. It's a 13 minute drive from one end to the other. And so, just the fact that it's all very, very small and like together, it seemed like I was living in, like, one of those small town from, like, the Christmas movies. It seemed very, very small. As the years have gone by, they've done a lot of development in Manassas Park, which makes it seem bigger than what it actually is. They've put in, like, the trains. The train has always been here, from what I remember, so that helped it seem like it was kind of like bigger, just because you saw, like, the commotion of the train and like the people getting on and off, going to and from work. But they've implemented, like, they started doing farmers markets. They started making a lot, a lot of more houses. They've there's a lot of like, businesses that have come here as well. Like, I live right next to, like, a little shopping center. And it has, like, like a nail salon. It has, like, a few restaurants. It has a gym. It has a 711. it's very, very small, but it's like it has what you need. And so seeing that develop over the years has been really, really nice.

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  19:51

And what has your experience with the Latino community been like there?

 

Angie Lopez  19:59

It's just grown so much since I've got here. From when I first was here, I thought it was like, very. There was a very, very smaller population of Hispanic people here. But now, like my sister, she just graduated, and they, you know, had said that the senior class was made up of, like, 60 to 70% of Hispanic students and like first generation, and it was just a lot of. So, see Manassas Park be like, kind of, like a 50/50, kind of like a lot of racist or at that school is, and then now it's like, they're all pretty much a Latin school. It's like 70% Latin in there, and so it's just grown from what I've seen, like, there's just a lot of people here now

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  20:54

That's crazy, honestly, because like, when I I lived there for, like, when I was really little. So, like, until I was like, seven. This is like, early 2000s and the Latino population there was so small. I remember my sister was only like, one of like five people in her like, graduating class that was Hispanic. And to, like, see the like, it's so big now that's, that's a that's really...

 

Angie Lopez  21:21

Yeah, I used to be, like, one of two of the only Hispanic people in my class.  Specifically, like, my like, AP classes, I used, like, it felt very crazy, because I was just surrounded by a lot of like, other races, and it was just like me and this other girl that were Latin in the class. And now my sister and my brother, who, as well, goes to Manassas Park, have told me that their entire like, English class is all Hispanic, and that's just shocking to me how much it's grown.

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  21:55

Yeah, that's good, though. It's like it's grown. And were you involved, like, and you said the there's only one girl, but like, now is your family? Are you involved with, like, the Latino community in Manassas Park?

 

Angie Lopez  22:11

In Manassas Park? Specifically, no. I mean, I was involved in, like, clubs in high school and everything like that. My sister, she just graduated as well, but she was also in, like, a Latin club, but nothing like outside of that in Manassas Park, yeah.

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  22:29

And what about like in, like, the overall Nova area?

 

Angie Lopez  22:32

Um, I'm part of the Latin Student Association and, like, other Latin clubs at Mason but I'm on the executive board for the Latin Student Association at Mason, so.

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  22:44

That's cool. What's your like, board position?

 

Angie Lopez  22:48

I'm community outreach.

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  22:50

Oh, nice. So, you like find out about this too. And so what has been your experience with those outside of the Latino community? Since that was also kind of small.

 

Angie Lopez  23:04

What do you mean by that? Like, the...

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  23:06

Like people who aren't Latino, like, how was your.. How were your experiences with them growing up? It was, like, the majority.

 

Angie Lopez  23:15

Um, it wasn't bad. It was kind of, um, very.. very cool to like. I'm always one of the type of person that loves, like cultures. I like, well, that's one of my biggest things that I kind of do is just like study cultures. I love to, like travel to different places and kind of like see different things. Because that's one of the things that like fascinates me the most is just other people and like what they're where they're from, and like how they grew up, and things like that. So growing up with other races was like, very, very like, good and unique to like what I'm fascinated about, because I got to, like, go to their houses and see like what their mom was making for dinner that night, like, versus what my mom was making for dinner. And there's kind of get to, like, know them, and they got to know for me as well, which is very, very nice, because a lot of people didn't know, like anything about the Latin culture at all, so.

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  24:18

That's really good. And if there are any, what have been some of the biggest obstacles you've encountered in Manassas? Or like the Nova area in general, too

 

Angie Lopez  24:34

Biggest obstacle?

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  24:37

Yeah. Like, obstacles can be like a lot of different things. Like, you can be like, social, economic, cultural, language is a big one, and like, more like the immigrant side. You faced that in LA and not here. So, yeah. 

 

Angie Lopez  25:00

Yeah, I'm not, I'm not sure.

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  25:02

Yeah, there doesn't have to be any.

 

Angie Lopez  25:05

I can't think of anything

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  25:07

That's fair. It's okay. And what kinds of resources have you found here to help you, like, with your day to day life? It can be like a person, a coach, a teacher, an organization, any clinics, or any type of thing. If there are any, there doesn't have to be either.

 

Angie Lopez  25:28

Um, something I used to like struggle with, like leaving high school and going into college was kind of like my like, how I felt about where I am from and who I like how I identify. It's like, kind of like a common thing that I learned in college, like meeting people, that it's like, you grew up here, you were born here, but your family is, you know, somewhere else. So you're like, exposed to lots of different things. And it was kind of like when people ask you, like, where are you from? It's kind of like this, like, do I tell you where I was born? Do I tell you where I live, where my mom is from, where my dad's from? It's kind of like, how do I answer your question? Because I don't even know. So in college, I made it a priority to, like, find out, like, find a community of people that felt that way as well, but also, like, shared the Latin culture, which is why I went into the Latin Student Association, and it was that's really helped me a lot. Like, also, not only just like, accepting like, This is who I am, and that's like, how I... and but getting to express that as well, and getting to celebrate that as well with other people.

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  26:38

That's really good. I did that too. Because growing up, it's like, you don't know what to say. You feel like you have two different identities, and they don't know how to like connect. So like in college is when a lot of people decide, like, Okay, I gotta figure out who I am and kind of combine both parts of yourself, right? Be so different, because it's like, oh, I'm from Latin America, but I'm also like, I was born here, so, like, I don't know what you want me to say. And so could you tell me about your current jobs that you have right now, and maybe other jobs that you've had here? If you've had any.

 

Angie Lopez  27:21

My current job. So I work at Lululemon. I've been working there since the end of 2022. It's been a really good job. I really enjoy, like interacting with people and interacting with my co workers and the discount, I guess. Um, soccer coaching is kind of very, very new. It's only been done within the past year, like in this month, is one year since I started with them at Northern Junior soccer club, and it's been really, really nice and really, really rewarding to, like, grow with them as a team, because as, like, I was starting out, a bunch of them were also starting out as well. So the progress that's been made within, like, the first day to, like, the end of the season was just very, very rewarding.

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  28:14

Good, and so what kind of like age ranges do you work with at the soccer coaching... as, like a soccer coach?

 

Angie Lopez  28:25

For the kids, or, like my co workers?

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  28:28

No, the kids

 

Angie Lopez  28:29

The kids, yeah, so they're, uh, 14 to 15.

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  28:37

And have you had any other jobs while living here?

 

Angie Lopez  28:40

Yeah, I was a preschool teacher for two years at KinderCare. That was one of like, that was, like, my main job for a while, and I also worked at Dunkin Donuts. Dunkin Donuts was my first job, and then I moved to Pete's Coffee and then KinderCare. And now I'm here. 

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  29:07

Okay, and have your experiences been good or bad? Like, What have your experiences been like in your different jobs?

 

Angie Lopez  29:15

They've been good. There's always, you know, something that you're that's gonna be like negative or something that you're not going to like about a job, or something that you really love about a job. I feel like every job had like its ups and downs, but I've overall, it's been like good experiences.

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  29:39

That's good. So the following questions are about your experiences during the pandemic. Um, where were you living when the pandemic started, and how did you first learn about it?

 

Angie Lopez  29:51

Um, I was living in Manassas Park, and I first was hearing about it because it was like a rumor in school that, like, um. Like, a lot of things were being shut down. Like, a lot of things were gonna, like, a lot of cities were closing, and it was just kind of like, Oh, haha. Like, How funny would it be if we got like, two weeks off of school? That would be so fun. Right before lockdown, I had gone on a trip to Orlando, and I was basically in, like, the. It was the world center Marriott, and it was just, there was a lot of people from everywhere. It was like a big convention. And then I, on the way back, I was feeling very, very sick. And so at this time, COVID was very, very new. I didn't know, and even think of that as an option. Of, like, what I had? I went to the doctor, and they were like, Oh, you just have bronchitis. Like, you'll be fine. But later, like, right after I stopped being sick, we got the notification that, like, school was shut down for two weeks. And I was like, Oh my God. Like, could I have been could I have had COVID? It was like crazy, because I never got tested for that during that time. And it was like, I never knew, but it was very, like scary to see, like, what was happening on the TV, and then, like, they're like, Oh, well, now you get another two weeks off of school. So I was like, okay, like, I guess, like, we get a whole month off. Like, yay. And then, as it kept becoming like, more and more of a problem, that's when I was getting more and more like, afraid of, like, what was going on, because my mom's side of the family is all diabetics. They all have like, a long line of history of being diabetic, and so they were at a higher risk. And I was just very, very scary to even think that they could get COVID easily and, like, be worse for them than it is for someone else because of their condition. So it was kind of like an anxiety inducing time overall, just because I was really, really afraid that, like, I didn't want anyone to go outside.

Isabella Alpire-Roca  32:04

And how did your family deal with those kinds of like, the Stay At Home orders and like the work from home? And home, work for like and sorry, and school at home. How was that?

 

Angie Lopez  32:16

So my parents both work jobs that, like, couldn't be done work from home. So it was very, very challenging for them, because they made their money by actively working outside and actively going places to work. So that was kind of upsetting. They were, they weren't taking it well because they didn't know, like, what to do. They had, like, their savings, which was what they were using, but they didn't account for that happening, or, you know, no one knew that was coming. And so they were, they weren't ready because they want... they didn't realize, like, how important it was for them to leave their home every day to get money and, you know, come back for their family. School from home, was kind of like a shock, not like a it was something to adjust to. I didn't mind it at all, like going on Zoom and like still continuing, but it was kind of like, I didn't realize that it would get to that point. In the very beginning, I didn't realize, like, that was, that was it, um, it was, I don't it was very, very hard at first to, like, adjust, and now I really enjoyed, like, online learning and stuff like that.

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  33:46

And were... so were your parents able to work after like, as, like, did they end up having to leave to go to work? Or...

 

Angie Lopez  33:56

Um, so they for them. There it was, the fact that there wasn't jobs like for so my dad works in like, construction and remodeling, and my mom's a house cleaner, and so for them, it was like there was no... At that point, there was no jobs like the people that they would my mom would work for wouldn't want her, obviously, to come over because of the pandemic. And then my dad, there was nobody needing anything like remodeled or done in their home at that time as well, for the same reasons, like no one wanted to risk it, so they ended up not having a job for a long, long time.

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  34:36

And were they able to get any support from the government? Like to, like, be able to support you guys, or what was that like?

 

Angie Lopez  34:46

I don't know if they did. Honestly, I'm not sure what they did or how they did it. All I know is that they had, like, some savings put together, which they used from time to time for things that we needed, but it was kind of like we only would like need to get our necessities, and that was kind of it, like we weren't doing anything out of the ordinary that would require a lot of money.

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  35:13

And did you end up doing online schooling until you graduated? Because I know it was like junior year when it started. So and a lot of people were given the option to do hybrid after did you end up doing that? Or online all the way.

 

Angie Lopez  35:27

I did hybrid

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  35:29

Yeah, hybrid. And you said you had a younger sister too. What was it like for her? The online schooling portion. 

 

Angie Lopez  35:38

For my sister? It I it it was, she just thought it was like, fun. Honestly, I remember her just being like, really, really excited. And my little brother as well, because my little brother was in elementary school at the time, and so for him, it was even they just both found it as like, a fun, funny time. They could go to school in their pajamas, and they would get to see their friends on, like, FaceTime, basically, with the whole class. And it was they never they didn't take it seriously. They didn't, you know that there was a teacher there giving them instructions and telling and, like, trying to teach them. But they kind of saw it as, like, a haha, this is so funny. Like, look at what my friend is doing. Look at that. Or my little brother was playing, like, video games in the middle of class. Like, they just didn't really take it seriously. They didn't process what was happening. They were really young, so they just kind of like, they're like, oh my god, this is a funny thing that's going on now.

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  36:42

And what was the transition like for you after graduating and going to college? Were you able... Did you end up living on campus or living at home and commuting?

 

Angie Lopez  36:53

I lived at home and I didn't have to commute a lot at first, because I did choose most of my classes to be like, it was black... It was called, like, Blackboard Collaborate. So it was basically zoom on Blackboard and and then I also chose, like, asynchronous where I would like do my own thing, just because, like, I was doing a lot of online learning from a while. And I was also afraid to go to college, and I was afraid to, like, go continue, I guess, that way, and so I just kind of took the safer route, and was, like, doing most of my stuff at home. I would have to go to campus, like, every now and then, but it wouldn't be like a lot.

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  37:38

And were any of your family members, friends or anyone close to you severely affected by COVID?

 

Angie Lopez  37:49

Uh, my mom was actually in the hospital for almost a month and a half, basically, with COVID. Um, like I said, like my family is, though they run, like, a long line of diabetes and like a lot of like, risk and everything. And so my mom actually. She's not diabetic, like fully she's pre diabetic, but it did hit her very, very hard. It did put her in the hospital for over a month. So it was very, very like, sad to see that, because I didn't know, like, when my mom would come back, or if she was okay, and she came back with, like, an oxygen tank. So it was kind of like, very, very scary.

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  38:34

Sorry that that seems a lot, but it's good that she came home and she got better.

 

Angie Lopez  38:39

Yeah, definitely.

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  38:41

What about your family, like remaining in Latin America? Were any of them affected?

 

Angie Lopez  38:50

I only heard that they got sick and but they weren't, like, severely affected by it. They, I heard that they got, like, some of them were got COVID, and some of them, but they, like, got through it. They like did quarantine. They did, like, took some painkillers, and they were, like, they had it, and then they didn't. It was kind of like with any sickness, but like, COVID, specifically, they didn't it didn't like, leave them, like any long time or long term effects or anything. Didn't put them, like, in the hospital for anything. They there, they did get shut down. I remember in Guatemala specifically, was like on lockdown for a lot of things. So there was, like, no traveling, no movement, no nothing, but they seemed okay. From what I understood, like everything was fine.

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  39:48

That's good. How do you think Latinos were impacted by the pandemic?

 

Angie Lopez  39:58

Just by seeing like how much it affected my parents, I feel like that was kind of common throughout because a lot of people rely on jobs like construction or like my mom, like house cleaning. I feel like that was kind of something that they that kind of affected the community as a whole, because the majority of people that do those, like, hard, intensive labor jobs were, like, I feel like a majority is going to be Latinos that do them, and then so them being able to be put out of, like, a job for a while, for a few months even it, I'm sure it was very, very hard for them, and I'm sure it affected, like, their financial situation a lot. 

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  40:46

Yeah, um. Did you get vaccinated? And, like, your family members. 

 

Angie Lopez  40:50

Yeah, we all got vaccinated.

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  40:54

What was that? Like, like, was it at like, as soon as you could, or, kind of, because it was required or...

 

Angie Lopez  41:02

It was kinda like as soon as we could we got vaccinated. I knew I wanted to get vaccinated, like immediately. I was actually working at KinderCare at the time as well, so it was good to have it was the frontline workers basically got, like, first access to the vaccine, and so I was basically in one of the first groups of people to be vaccinated, and immediate. So I got vaccinated as soon as I could, and then I know my mom was in it as well, because of the the higher risk. So we both got vaccinated around the same time, and then shortly after, like my brother, my dad, they all got vaccinated as well. 

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  41:49

Okay, that's good. I accidentally skipped a question earlier, so I'm gonna go back to it really quickly. But what has your experience been like with the school system in Virginia?

 

Angie Lopez  42:01

Very, very good. I felt very, very supported by a lot of people in high school and in college as well. It's just I've met some really great teachers, which, like I said earlier, I wanted to be an like a teacher, an education major, and that was kind of something I really wanted to do because of the people and the teachers that I did meet, they kind of like inspired me so much to the point where I was like, I want to inspire other people like them later on. So it was overall, very, very good.

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  42:33

Good. So these are the last set of questions. But do you feel like you belong in Manassas Park?

 

Angie Lopez  42:49

Yes, and no, I feel like it's a good place. It was a good place for me to go through middle school and high school, and it was and I'm here now with, like, my family and stuff, but I don't see myself being in Manassas Park forever. I don't I feel like I belong to, like, a certain extent. If that makes any sense. I don't know, like, how to word it correctly, but I just, I don't see it as, like, my my forever place, like I don't... I do feel like I belong. I feel like I have, like, a history here. But it's not something that is permanent. 

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  43:42

And is that, like, the like, future part of it, is that what like has prevented you from feeling completely at home there?

 

Angie Lopez  43:50

Yes, definitely. I, since I moved here, I said, like, this was not where I was gonna stay. And so I've had that mindset since I was, like, basically brought here, that this is not where I'm ending up. I will not stay in Manassas Park. I used to want to go back to California. Now I have now I've, like, established, like, a life here. I've got friends. I have my family here. I have a boyfriend. I have, like, my whole life is here now. And so I don't see myself leaving Virginia or, like, the Northern Virginia area for a while, but I do see myself leaving Manassas Park specifically.

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  44:36

So do you know kind of where you want your forever place to be like specifically or not yet?

 

Angie Lopez  44:42

Not yet, but I'm hoping somewhere like closer to DC.

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  44:49

And have you ever admitted any parts of your identity or cultural practices to fit in anywhere?

 

Angie Lopez  44:58

Admitted, what do you mean? 

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  45:00

Omitted. Like, like not participated in them. Like, like are kind of like, omitted in a way that like you don't kind of talk about it, or like do something, because...

 

Angie Lopez  45:15

No

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  45:18

And what do you think of how the issue of immigration is talked about by politicians and the general public?

 

Angie Lopez  45:29

Not well, I feel like they're not. I feel like it would benefit if we had more Latin politicians out there. AOC has done a great job at what she does and advocating for rights and everything, but from what I see is like as if you don't have a solid understanding or it's not happening to you or your family, you're not going to truly understand why immigration is the way it is, and like, what people are coming here for, or what they're looking for. So I feel like they it's not talked about well because it's not understood well. So they, there's like, they always say, like, come here legally, and it's fine, like, we don't mind if you come here, but they're not realizing that they're not giving that option to come here legally. And these people are, you know, they're they can't stay in their home countries due to dangers and violence and just many other factors. And it's just that you're not the we're not giving as much opportunity as we could.

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  46:45

What would you like politicians in the general public to know about Latinos.

 

Angie Lopez  46:54

Latinos are very hard working. They everyone, I feel like, comes back from like, a solid background of like, you work hard for what you want and you earn what you what you get. And so everyone kind of, what I see a common thing in Latinos is that they very much understand like that they need to work hard to get like, where they want, what they need. And it's so I want them to know that they're a lot of Latinos, a majority of Latinos. They don't they're not here, or they're not coming here to do anything other than work for themselves and get a better life for themselves. And they just kind of want to better their life and not disrupt or harm anything or anyone. 

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  47:43

Yeah, and what would you like the public to know about? Like, your life story?

 

Angie Lopez  47:51

Um, that like.. I had very hard times growing up, but they never they weren't hard enough for me to give up. They weren't enough for me to stop or stop trying. I broke through the barriers of not knowing the language, moving to different like a completely different place, and it kind of, I've been put in through lots of challenges that they weren't hard enough for me to say, like, I can't do this anymore, so. 

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  48:30

And what would you like people to take away from the interview? Like, kind of overall, it's a similar question, but

 

Angie Lopez  48:39

Basically the same thing, that everyone is going to go through something and it's going to be difficult at first, no matter what you do, no matter what you try for the first few times, it's going to be very, very difficult. But the more you try, the more you put in the effort, the better the success will be and you'll get the results you want.

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  49:06

And is there anything that you want to add that we might not have talked about today?

 

Angie Lopez  49:13

Um, no. 

 

Isabella Alpire-Roca  49:16

Okay, well, that's all the questions I have for you today. Thank you so much for speaking with me.

 

Angie Lopez  49:22

You're welcome.