Maria Saliby  0:05  

Okay, so first, I'd like to ask you some basic questions about you, your family and your background. Okay, also, you can always skip any question you don't have to answer if you don't like so that's an option. Could you start off by sharing a little bit about where your family is from and your childhood and a little bit how we grew up. 

 

Cristina Sayegh  0:25  

Yes, my mother is from Colombia. She grew up with her grandmother in Columbia, and her mother worked in the United States to send money back to Colombia, and then at the age around.. When she started to become a teenager, I want to say around the age 12.. She came to the United States for a little bit, went back to Columbia then came back to America, and ended up staying here for her high school, and then stayed here forever. 

 

Maria Saliby  0:55  

Wow!!

 

Cristina Sayegh  0:56  

Or till now, yes. And then my father grew up in Kuwait, and then came here to the United States for university. Yes. I was born in Florida. I lived there for six years, and then I moved overseas to Dubai for three years, then I came back to Florida for a year, and then I moved to Virginia. And then I went here for my sixth grade to12th grade, or in Great Falls in Nova. And then I decided to go to VCU for college, and that's where I'm at now.

 

Maria Saliby  1:42  

Nice, cool. If you don't mind trying to just make sure you talk a little loud, just in case. You don't have to be yelling, but yeah, so I just want to make sure I can hear it. 

 

Cristina Sayegh  1:51  

Yes, perfect.

 

Maria Saliby  1:52  

But whenever you're comfortable with the course haha. Can you tell me a little bit about your educational trajectory, like where? Well, you kind of write to me where you went to school in your highest level of education. But can you just specify again, your high school?

 

Cristina Sayegh  2:10  

Yeah, I went to Langley High School, which is in McLean.

 

Maria Saliby  2:18  

And then do you want to talk a little bit about, like, what you're majoring in?

 

Cristina Sayegh  2:22  

yeah, and then I decided to come to VCU. I was I applied as an English major. I switched to international studies. I decided to do a concentration in social justice. And then just last year, I decided to double major in sculpture as well.

 

Maria Saliby  2:38  

Awesome. Okay, cool. And just by chance, did you grow up with religion in your family? 

 

Cristina Sayegh  2:45  

Yes, I grew up Christian. I still identify like as a Christian. My family is very religious, I would say very like everything points back to God in the Bible, like with any advice or any decisions I make that like my parents are part of. I try to still go to church. I found a church in Richmond once I moved here. My mom grew up  Catholic, but I guess you could say converted to Christianity. My dad grew up Christian his whole life. Yeah.

 

Maria Saliby  3:25  

that's cool. What kind of Christianity? I'm just curious.

 

Cristina Sayegh  3:36  

To be so honest, I don't know the dominant denominations very well, since we moved overseas and like, like, a lot of different places, my parents just try a lot of different churches until we find one that fits us. Yes, but like the church I go to now, I believe is non denomination. 

 

Maria Saliby  3:59  

Cool, awesome. Okay, so now we're going to talk a little bit about how your family, how you or your family, arrived in Virginia. 

 

So how did you come to Virginia, and how long have you lived here? And also, I know you said you live somewhere else, if you don't mind talking about that too.

 

Cristina Sayegh  4:21  

Yes. Okay, wait, one question at a time. What was the first question? 

 

Maria Saliby  4:25  

So how did you come to live in Virginia? And how long have you lived here?

 

Cristina Sayegh  4:28  

Okay, um, I came to live in Virginia after fifth grade in Florida. My parents did not like the middle school I was zoned for, and they did not like the high school I was zoned for in Florida, and my parents had lived there for like, over 10 years now. Like we had the same house, it was the family house, and, we were renting it out while we lived overseas and stuff like that. But the zoning the high school and middle school just went.. Like, just got a lot worse, because my siblings are 10 and 12 years older than me. So when they went there, it was like, top of like, the county, like, all this stuff. But then, as time went on, my parents were like, "This doesn't make sense to send our kids here." My dad went to University of Maryland, and my mom, like, when she went to high school was in Bethesda in Maryland. So they grew up in like the Nova area, like near Nova or like that area, and then they moved to McLean when they got married. So they knew about Langley, and they knew it was a good place. And so they were like, I think we should just move back there. And then my dad found a job here, and it all worked out.

 

Maria Saliby  5:45  

And then you said you lived in Florida, but also Dubai a little bit before settling here?

 

Cristina Sayegh  5:57  

Yeah, I was six when I moved overseas to do borrow. I did my first second and third grade there. I went to an international school. My dad does security for airports, seaports and nuclear power plants. So he does contracts a lot, and he basically, like, goes where the contract is. So when.. Like, right now he has a contract in Hawaii. So he goes there every like, two weeks, every month, and he'll stay there for a certain period of time tooversee the project, do the project. And then once the project's done, you know, he gets a new contract with something else and then he'll move there, or he'll travel there. Because me and my sister were so young at this time, and my brother, he decided that it didn't make sense for him to move to Dubai like by himself. So he moved the family there, and once the contract was over, he got a new job. We moved back to Florida.

 

Maria Saliby  6:59  

I see, very interesting!!

 

Okay, so we'll move on to the next question. Do you have any family members still living in like their countries of origin, and are you close with them? And do you get to see them? 

 

Cristina Sayegh  7:15  

Okay, if we're talking about our my mom's side, the Colombian side. I do have a lot of family that still lives there. Like, a lot, a lot. I go every five to seven years. I've been probably three times in my life to Columbia. It's hard. I have six people in my family to, like, make a family trip happen. My sister got married and now has kids, so that's pretty hard. I went two.. I want to say, two summers ago, to Columbia, and that was like a family trip. We went without my sister, but like the rest of the family. 

 

And this summer, I was talking to my mom about, like, I didn't get any of the internships I wanted.. I didn't get any of like, the stuff I wanted, like, the jobs I wanted for the summer. And I was like, really bummed out. And I was like, "What should I do?". And my mom was talking about how, like, like, I can go study Spanish in Costa Rica, or, like, do this volunteer opportunity. But I was like, why wouldn't I take advantage of the family I have in Colombia, I'm not very close to them. There's a little bit like, of a disconnect, obviously, because of like, not only like location, but because I'm not fluent in Spanish. So it's not like I pick up the phone to talk to them, because my Spanish is very like, broken, their English is very broken.

 

And like, sometimes, like, when we go travel there, my mom acts as, like, the translator. Because, having fast conversations, or like, when you're going to a restaurant, like, you know, like family vacation.. You won't, don't want to practice your Spanish, like you're just trying to order, you know, stuff like that. So I decided this summer that I would go to Colombia by myself for about a month and study Spanish. I lived with my aunt and uncle who I'm not very close to. But I got very close to a lot of my family during this trip because I was by myself, and it was a connection I was able to make individually without, like, the connection of my mom.. Being like, oh you're just my mom's sister, like, you're just my mom's brother, like, whatever. 

 

I think there's also a disconnect, or not a disconnect, a little bit of like, like family history there. My mom never grew up with her siblings because they're not from the same mother. There's there's three different families.There's my mom's, and there was one kid from that, and then there was like the so called main one with four kids, and then another one, which is one kid. It that my grandpa had, and so they didn't grow up together. And so I think there's a lot of disconnect. And like I said, my grandmother moved to America to, like, send money back to my mom, so they weren't, like, close. They never grew up knowing each other. And then once they got older, they met each other and, like started a relationship. So there was already like, a late start to that.

 

Maria Saliby  10:25  

I see, I see. It's cool that you got to go back. I didn't realize you went alone. You're so brave!!

 

Cristina Sayegh  10:34  

I was scared. I literally, I was like "Hola!". I was like, "hey guys.. Remember me?" Because they're very close, they all live like right by each other. Like three of my families that are like my cousins all live in the same apartment complex, so they get dinner together, and they babysit each other's like kids, like all this. And it's like.. They're part of each other's lives in a constant way that, like, I can't fully understand. So it was nice to like, be able to be a part of it, even if it was just for a little bit of time.

 

Maria Saliby  11:09  

Yeah, I get. It very interesting and really happy that you got to do that. 

 

Do you have any family living in your current city, like here in Richmond? 

 

Cristina Sayegh  11:22  

No.

 

Maria Saliby  11:23  

No, Okay, so we'll move past that question. 

 

So moving past that question. the following questions are about living in Virginia specifically. What was your current.. I mean, your county of residence when you first moved to Virginia? And I know that was Nova, right? Okay if you can talk a little bit about that, like if you grew up there, how was it like growing up there? And how has it changed over time?

 

Cristina Sayegh  12:09  

I grew up in Great Falls. It's Fairfax County. It was like, really, I think, like a culture shock to move to Great Falls. It's a very, very wealthy area to say it, I guess, like for what it is, it's very middle of nowhere. Everyone really stays to themselves. Like people are friendly, but like they're there for their work, and they're very consumed by their work life. And I think moving from Florida, I remember I was like.. People would come through my back door, like we had a pool, like the screen, and like people would just walk in when they were walking their dogs, like my windows were always open. My door was always open, like my neighbor when she needed her dress zipped, like would come in when I was little. If I wasn't doing a birthday party like at my place, she would host it like everyone was super close.

 

My elementary, middle and high school were all walking distance from my house there, and then I moved to Virginia. Yeah, Great Falls and my high school is like 25 minutes, which is fine, like driving. But because it's Langley by the CIA and beltway, it took me 45 minutes to an hour almost every morning, which was super difficult. I never took a bus in my life, because everything was walking distance. So I remember I was like, super scared for that when I was in elementary school. I think also something so simple as like, sixth grade, still being in elementary school in Great Falls.. I remember I was like, really shocked. I was like, I had a graduation party in Florida. I was ready to go to middle school, and then they were like, "You're back in high or you're back in elementary school again in Virginia". And I was like, "oh.. okay," so yeah, it was like.. It was just a very much, like a culture shock. It was nice, though, because both sides of my grandparents live in Maryland. So we became a lot closer, like physically, and also are able to see them a lot more, which is nice, because, as they get older, like to help them out. 

 

Maria Saliby  14:33  

Yeah, that's nice. Well, you know.. not nice, but nice, nice. That you got to make the connection with your grandparents more, but like all that about moving schools and then going back to elementary, that's really rough.

 

Cristina Sayegh  14:46  

Yeah, it was just like, interesting, I think too, because the diversity was so different in Great Falls. Like, it's a majority, like white.. White place. And I think coming from Florida, then, like moving overseas to Dubai, my parents both immigrants here. Like, I was like, "oh.." like, people definitely have different ideals, I think. And I did have a lot of friends who were from like India or Asia. They.. It was like diverse in some sense, but I don't think it was nearly as diverse as some of the like other schools that I was for in zoned for in the past. 

 

Maria Saliby  14:46  

Yeah, I can see that.

 

So we'll move on to the next question. What has your experience been with the Latino community there?  Which is referring to Great Falls. Yeah.

 

Cristina Sayegh  15:51  

Okay, let me think.. I feel like that should say enough. Like, let me think, like I have to, think about it. I don't think there was really a community there. I don't know. I think I felt very like disconnected from the Latin community in Great Falls. I know even in Dubai, my mom had like, a Latin community at church that they would all go, like, on retreats. Like my mom was.. It was very hard for her to find a group of Latin people in Great Falls even today. Like, I don't think we have one. I'm trying to think of like..Like friends I had that were a part of the Latin community. I don't, I don't really think so, or wasn't very prevalent, or they weren't very like, they weren't like, exploring their culture very publicly. I think so. I don't think it was very open.

 

I know I was part of, like, the Spanish Honor Society, and I took Spanish classes, but, like.. I don't know it was high school, which was like Spanish Honor Society, like, we had to go to a restaurant practice our Spanish for now. You know, or something like, it was something people could like, fake or not do and get a cord for an honor society. I don't think it was really a community. I think the community that I did have there was my grandparents. And my step Grandpa is from Ecuador, so, and they all live in Maryland, so we see them like for Christmas and like all that. And so I think that was like our community, the Latin community, but I don't think it was like, very prevalent in Great Falls.

 

Maria Saliby  17:52  

I see. Um, have you seen the difference here in Richmond?

 

Cristina Sayegh  17:58  

Oh my gosh. I remember freshman year, and I joined LSA. I remember I called my mom, and I was like, this is like amazing. Like, I think something that, like, embraces your culture, and I'm not.. Again I didn't grow up learning Spanish. My mom was very, like adamant about us learning English, because like, we were in America. And so and after like, having.. I was her fourth kid, it got easier to speak a language that was needed in the country you're at, and so I was never taught Spanish. 

 

And I think, like, being able to be around people where I was like, wow. Like, there were dance activities to learn how to dance like salsa or something, or like food that I was like, wow. Like, my mom makes this at home, but not only are you, selling it, but like you build a community. People are hanging out, like, picnicking. We have, like, familia groups. And I remember I was a kid for like, a semester which was really cool, just to have a group that like.. And obviously people that aren't part of the Latin community were able to join, but it was people that were able to like, want to explore and embrace that culture. So I think it was really, like, beautiful and nice. 

 

Maria Saliby  19:18  

Yeah like people kind of having a similar feeling about it. That's nice.

 

 Um, so what are some of the biggest obstacles that you have encountered in your city or county of residence? I think you can take that as Richmond.

 

Cristina Sayegh  19:34  

biggest obstacles as in like from being?

 

Maria Saliby  19:39  

It can be really anything.

 

Cristina Sayegh  19:42  

I mean.. I'm in Richmond for school, so I think my biggest obstacle is education and the payment of education right now. I think it's like.. I'm very grateful and I'm very fortunate to have like, my parents support me. But I think, as I get older, I'm more aware of like, the budgeting and things I need to contribute to be able to survive as an individual. 

 

And I think like.. I think money is just always, like, a constant problem that people will have. I know, my parents are like, oh, like, we want you to focus on school. But it's also like, okay, like, living is money. Like, anything you do is money. I don't have transportation here, it's money. Like, there's definitely ways to make things cheaper.But I think, like, just the fact of education.. I was looking at how much my tuition was the other day, trying to find scholarships. I think that's the most prevalent issue I have recently. But I think, yeah, I would say that ones specific to Richmond.

 

Maria Saliby  21:06  

I see, okay. Um, what kind of resources have you found here to help you with your life? Have you benefited from the help of any organizations or individuals? Like that could mean nonprofits, or that could also mean like the LSA.

 

Cristina Sayegh  21:21  

Yeah, I think LSA has just provided, like a community for me. I think as of like resources, I don't know, like, I went to the Career Center to look for a job, and they were like, just like a handshake. And I was like, "Okay, like, but can you, like, help me?" And I think what I learned is, like, you have to really be into, like, smaller groups of people who are willing to care about you. I was in CREW for a little bit, which was like a Christian org on campus, and they and they plugged me in with City Church, where I have a job now. And so I think, like, when you have those connections.. And I guess technically, it's still through the school, because crew was a campus organization.. 

 

But I think I don't know. I think I've been looking for scholarships, and I've had a really hard times finding scholarships until I'd taken a sculpture seminar where my teacher, Lily Cox Richards was able to, like, actually show us how to use the scholarship hub. And like, made it an assignment to sign up for a scholarship. Like, actually making it like you know, I think there's like.. It's always like, "Okay, here's the website." Okay. But we're also students with, like, huge responsibilities and like, trying to make it like, through every breath and like, every day. When, I don't know, things are consuming we have also personal issues mental health, needing a job, also having family obligations, like, all this stuff. [inaudible] be like, "Hey, like, I'm not just gonna give you the website, but I'm gonna support you through the steps of it." Yeah. So I think I have found that support, but I haven't found it in the ways I thought I would have. I found it through, like, specific people who have reached out through these clubs, or specific connections I made through my classes or teachers. Yeah, but not through the places people always told me, like, go to the Career Center, go to financial aid, go to this like. I actually haven't found it there, but yeah.

 

Maria Saliby  23:28  

Nice, not nice. But yeah, no, I get it, and the community ties help more so than that work. I mean, an institution.Can you tell me a little bit about your current job CREW? Or city City Church, and any other jobs you've had since living here? If you did.

 

Cristina Sayegh  23:48  

Yeah, City Church, I worked last year as well. It's a church.. Shoot, I don't even know what the name of the street is. It's like eight minutes walking from my apartment. I do childcare for Wednesdays and Sundays. They need it when the parents are in service, or when they have, like, Bible study or stuff like that. So it's usually specific to like, different times. So I get an email every so often. It's like, please sign up. And it's really flexible. I really like my boss, she understands that like, we're also students and sometimes I have class in person on those Wednesdays, so I can leave a little early. But we just take care of the kids. We feed them. We help them, if they're being potty trained, or change their diaper. They're all pretty young, so we just play with them and keep them occupied until their parent come back to have a little bit of time off, to be able to be part of that Bible study or service. 

 

Maria Saliby  25:06  

I see, very cool. 

 

So the following questions are about your experience during the COVID, 19 pandemic. Where were you living when the pandemic started, and how did you first learn about it?

 

Cristina Sayegh  25:24  

Um, I was living in Great Falls with my parents and my sister. Um, it was my sophomore year of high school.. I was actually in a restaurant with my two friends, finishing an essay. And I remember this so clearly, because we were like, I we were like, it was, I think it was midterm or a final. I don't even remember it was just a big essay we had to finish. And we were like, "Okay, please. Like, everyone's saying school is going to be shut down." Like, haha, like, "will they really, like, we don't know." And we were like, "yes, just make it shut down so we don't have to turn in this essay by tomorrow. We can say, like,we d idn't have school and like, all this stuff." And it was shut down. It was like, no school tomorrow. And we were all, like, celebrating. We were all so excited. And then it was like, school's not happening for another week, school's not happening for another month, school's not happening. And I was like, Oh.. yeah. So that was where I was at. What was the other question?

 

Maria Saliby  26:32  

So it was about how you first learned about it. But that would have been through your phone?

 

Cristina Sayegh  26:39  

It was an email.

 

Maria Saliby  26:41  

Email, okay.

 

Cristina Sayegh  26:42  

Yes.

 

Maria Saliby  26:42  

From your school. Got it, interesting.

 

So we'll move on to the next question. How did your your family deal with all the changes, like the Stay At Home orders and.. Was work a thing for you back then?

 

Cristina Sayegh  27:04  

I was 15, so it's actually kind of interesting, because I didn't get my first job until COVID. So most people lost their job during COVID.. And I got my first job when I was 15 at a restaurant, doing calls and taking orders outside. 

 

Maria Saliby  27:24  

Wow. Yeah, what an interesting time to, like, figure out how to have a job when it's like, not the normal times. 

 

Cristina Sayegh  27:31  

Yeah, it was very interesting. But I was, like, not doing much. I remember me and my friends. I have a really hard time focusing at home. It was our junior year, like we were going into our junior year, and so I was like, like, this the hardest year. You know what I mean? "Like, how am I going to do it online?" So we made these pod groups, and we would all rotate houses to go and do school at to be like, okay you still get up, you still go to a new environment. But it was really hard when we were all like headphones, like talking in breakout rooms like over each other.

 

So I kind of dropped out of that pod and just did in my basement, which meant like I was doing my makeup in the middle of class, like I was changing. Like I was.. I remember I bought an ear piercing gun on Amazon, and in the middle of my theater class, I was piercing my ear. Like there was no structure to my life. I remember I use to do this thing where I was.. Like, I'd just have so much energy, like I was what, 15. I was like a kid that wasn't able to socially interact with anyone, and so I would just scream. Like I would scream in my basement, and my parents, like, got used to it, because I would just scream. and I was like "ahhhhh," and then I'd be like, "I just need to release energy." My parents would just laugh at me. My dad worked in the basement, downstairs. My sister was in college but her first year was online, so that was interesting. But I had my sister, of course, and honestly, we were very like, COVID per cautious. But I had, like, a group of friends that I still went out with we,just did things like, outside. But yeah.

 

Maria Saliby  29:12  

Thats nice. Well, not nice, but not.. You know. 

 

Cristina Sayegh  29:18  

I know. 

 

Maria Saliby  29:21  

Were any family members, friends, or someone you're close with severely impacted by COVID? And if so, do you mind telling me about it?

 

Cristina Sayegh  29:31  

Um, well.. what's it called? Okay, so I don't know if this like severely impacted because we all like, obviously we made it out alive and healthy. But I got COVID, my brother got COVID, my sister got COVID, my dad or my mom got COVID. We were on family vacation, like, I don't even know how long ago. Um, I want to say three years, four years ago in Hawaii, and my sister was pregnant. And my parents both got COVID, and we were in a hotel, and she was staying in another hotel with her husband. But, like, we were all hanging out, and that was pretty scary, because we were like, "what do we do?" Like, we're in an unknown place. Like, yeah, like, "how are we suppose to quarantine?" My sister's husband's an ER doctor, and so he saw like, crazy amount of COVID patients. He wore, like, those huge masks and suits and everything. And he would have to come home to my sister and, like, he would just have to hop in the shower. But, like, that was pretty, like, scary because, like, she was pregnant. She had her kid, and it was like.. This man's like, working with COVID patients all the time, and so that was like, yeah. That was like, "Oh no." But, like, a, like, just a scary interaction. I don't actually remember if this.. I have two sisters, so if this sister got COVID, I know her husband has, but I I believe she has, maybe, but I don't remember. But I think everyone's like, been affected that way.

 

Maria Saliby  31:16  

(Clarifying) So you don't know if she had gotten COVID while pregnant, but you don't think she did? 

 

Cristina Sayegh  31:21  

I don't think she got COVID while she was pregnant, but I do I believe she had gotten COVID Like at one point. Yes.

 

Maria Saliby  31:31  

I'm glad everyone was okay. 

How do you think Latinos were impacted by the pandemic? And did you know many people get that got vaccinated. Also, have you gotten vaccinated?

 

Cristina Sayegh  31:45  

Yes, I have gotten vaccinated. Everyone in my family has gotten vaccinated. I think.

 

I think asking, like, the Latin population that I'm aware of that is like my family that's all moved.. Like, have moved here with like opportunities and secure jobs and like stuff like this. They all have to, like, fight their way for it. But at the time that I know them, like, through COVID and stuff, like, have had secure jobs and were able to get the vaccines and were able to have that already. I think if I want to talk about the Latin community, like, of my family that are still back in Colombia. Like the difference, like, how hard it is to get it, or, how much later they had to get the vaccine. Like, it was very different. But again, I think during COVID, I wasn't very much aware of the Latin population in my neighborhood, besides my own family, who was all very privileged in the way that we were. Like, where we were living and uhhm.. 

 

Maria Saliby  33:05  

What you can like.. Like, have access to?

 

Cristina Sayegh  33:07  

Yeah, yeah. By moving, when we moved to America. 

 

Maria Saliby  33:11  

I see. Yeah, got it. Um, okay, thank you.

 

And now I just have a final few more questions for the interview, the last section.

 

Cristina Sayegh  33:21  

Yesss.

 

Maria Saliby  33:24  

Do you feel like you belong here in Richmond? And is there anything that prevents you from feeling a sense of belonging if not?

 

Cristina Sayegh  33:32  

I do think I belong in Richmond. I think this is like a place I feel comfortable in. I feel comfortable like exploring myself in the city. I like being in a place with like community, open campus, like I'm not just filled with other students. I'm filled with families. I'm filled with like other members of like society. And it's not just like 20 year olds like that. We're all like, you know, I just think I really like that. It's an open campus and that, like, there's so many activities going on within the community that I can plug into. I think I have been able to explore both sides of myself, my Palestinian side and my Colombian side, which is like, I'm very grateful for. 

 

I think, yeah, I do think I, like, belong here. I think there's still so much more to explore and like, figure out like. Because I don't know everything like, obviously about myself, but I do think Richmond provides that the opportunity in this space for me to explore that. 

 

Maria Saliby  34:45  

Awesome! Do you, or do you not feel like you've had to omit parts of your cultural identity? Or you haven't felt the need to refrain from something in order to be accepted here?

 

Cristina Sayegh  35:00  

I think, I think maybe this doesn't go, or.. I think I feel very embraced by my community. I don't think I feel as embraced by my school. Which is hard. I think as much as VCU likes to be like love, divert.. Like love diversity, like most diverse school, like love, all our students, like Ramily. Like all these slogans that they have, I've really come to learn that, like, they are not here for minority groups. They're not here to talk to them. They're here for like, the labels of it. But like talking like a little bit about like, also like SJP and like my Palestinian side, I don't think they embrace the minorities unless it benefits them. 

 

I know LSA last year won like, I don't even remember the name of it. But it was, like, an award that was, like, best org. on campus, or, like, most active org., something like that. And they were talking about that. But I feel like that's only brought up to mention, like, "oh, this org does stuff," but it's like, okay. Like, but would you also recognized this org that has, like, fought tooth and nail to build that community, and also like how hard this community has struggled. And like that they aren't always allowed all the resources that, like everyone else has gotten, and I think I don't feel very embraced by my school, but again, like I said before, my community has embraced that.

 

Maria Saliby  36:38  

I'm glad you have the community to make up for it. I know, but yeah. 

 

So we'll move to next question. Do you think.. Or what do you think of the issue of immigration, and what do you think of the way that immigration is talked by politicians and the general public? And what would you like them to know about Latinos or Latinas?

 

Cristina Sayegh  37:04  

Okay, so I think the way it is talked about in politics is, like, very animalistic and like savage. It's like these people, like when you talk about people like crossing the border.. Like, when you talk about immigrants coming in as if they're like, like, "this is not their home," like, "what their jobs are meant for," like, what their lives look like. And it's like, Wait, if you take a step back, like, these are people with families, these are people with like, feelings and like, who are trying to make it like trying to literally survive. And I think like taking the idea of like, like, my grandmother. I don't know how much she wanted to move to the United States, but that's what she needed to provide for her daughter back in Columbia. Like, I don't believe she was like, yes, let me leave my daughter with my grandmother, and not see her for a while. But that is what she needed to do. And I think at that point, like America was very much like, what's that saying? Like, place of dreams, or uhmm..

 

Maria Saliby  38:15  

The American dream? 

 

Cristina Sayegh  38:16  

The American Dream, Yes.

 

The American dream. And so I think they, like they were brought in with that aspect. But the way politics talk about them in historical context, or even to this day, is very like I said, like savage, like animalistic, like.. "They don't belong here, like they don't belong anywhere," but these are people with families, and I think.. I think there's a some sort of politics that I may never be able to, like, understand, like, fully into the government and like roles of foreign affairs that I am learning right now in international studies. But that I might not understand, I don't think that's ever a way to talk about it in general, but also as a representative. Like right now in election, candidates and campaigns and stuff like that, like, you are someone that's going to be representing the entire country. You're someone that's representing people, and that's how you decide to talk about people, it's insane. 

 

I think I'm very fortunate to not have faced a lot of the oppression that, like my mother has faced, and like a lot of my family has faced, I'm very white passing. I know, like, there's little things that people like to, you know, make fun of, but it's like a serious issue of, like my mother's accent. You know, like she has an accent and people like, talk to her about it, but sometimes she's like, like, I can't, like, "I can't get rid of it." Like, I've literally lived in the United States for years, but people will make comments about her accent. And I think there's little things like that, like microaggressions that, like, you don't really, really understand, but it's like, you know that? Like, it's, it's my mother. It's like someone with feelings that, like, okay, like, you are just trying to fit in. 

 

Like, that is my entire like, history, like, well I don't know Spanish, why I can't talk to half my family, like you're trying to fit into a society. And so I think, like my grandmother, like getting a job, like not being paid as well, like telling her what her role should be in society. Like you're always filled with that thought, like you're not going to be good enough. And I think I would just tell like, like polit..  what was the last question? Like, what would you ask politicians? Or?

 

Maria Saliby  40:51  

It was, what would you like them to know? So.

 

Cristina Sayegh  40:54  

Yeah, what would you like them to know? I would like them to just, like.. know that it is not. It is not. I'm trying to figure out how to word this. It is not. They should be they should be proud of the Latin X community that is in the United States. Um, Latinos shouldn't be like, I don't know how to say that. Like, it shouldn't be vice versa. Like people shouldn't be like, we have to go to America to find this dream. Like people should be like, wait. Like, the dream is the fact that Latin people are in America. Like, these immigrants are coming here. Like, that's what makes it so beautiful. But it's not because America was beautiful that people are coming here. And it's the fact that they are here that is making it beautiful. 

 

Maria Saliby  41:48  

Like they add to what makes America Beautiful. 

 

Cristina Sayegh  41:51  

Yeah. And I think, like, I would ask them to, like, put a little respect on.. Like, put a little respect on the name!! On the Latin community because they worked. I'm like, looking at my mother. She has worked for everything she's got, and she's the most hard, working, smart person, and people don't like recognize her for that based on something she was born as. Like something she cannot change, something she like represents, like, people can see that like when they look at her. So I think, like, just also, like, just respecting that. 

 

Maria Saliby  42:25  

Yeah! Really nicely said. 

 

Cristina Sayegh  42:28  

Thank you. 

 

Maria Saliby  42:31  

So now you talked about, what would you like the politicians know. 

 

But what would you like the public to know about your life story if you do want them to know? And what would you like students like myself to take away from this interview?

 

Cristina Sayegh  42:45  

What would I like to? What was it?

 

Maria Saliby  42:47  

What would you like the public? Yeah.

 

Cristina Sayegh  42:50  

Oh and students. Okay, I would like the public to know about my story.. I just.. I don't know. I'm I'm obsessed with my family. I love my family more than anything in this entire world. And like, all I want to do is make my parents proud. I like when I think of them, like, I just know they have worked for everything. Like, again, like, I have lived a very great life. But like, if I sit down, like, growing up, you know, you don't understand what your parents had to do to get there. But then now, at my age, like, I do understand what my parents had to do to get there. And I struggle with so much already, but like, knowing they had to struggle like, twice as much. Like, is crazy to me. 

 

My parents now have their own business. Like, my mom's like the president, like Vice President, my father, like, has a degree. And I think like being able to not only tell people, but like, show people. Like, like, you can say whatever you want about me, but like, we're the ones making the way. I think that's like the story I want to people to take out of it.

 

I think I just want the public to embrace, like, cultural differences, and I think there's so many people willing to. I think sometimes people are, like, scared too, but I also like, like, I know, like, people ask me, like, again, something as simple as LSA, like a student organization and club, like, people were like, Oh, I'm not Latina, I'm not Latino. Like, I can't join. But it's like, wait. Like, actually, you can. Like, you're embracing. Like, that means so much. Like, you don't have to be part of that community to be able to embrace it. And like, want to learn. Me and my friends all took, like, a salsa dancing class, and like, I'm like, so bad at dancing. But being able to like, do that, or like, practice my Spanish and not be made fun of for my American accent.. Because, like, I am pretty bad at Spanish, and I do have a very white accent, but..

 

Me with Arabic haha.

 

Haha yeah. So I just think like, being able to, like, embrace others with those differences and like become that community I think.

 

Maria Saliby  45:03  

I like that. Yeah. Is there anything else, this is the last question. Would there? Is there anything else that you would like to add that maybe we didn't talk about?

 

Cristina Sayegh  45:14  

Nope, I think that. Is it. 

 

Maria Saliby  45:19  

Okay! Awesome. Well, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me.

 

Cristina Sayegh  45:23  

Of course, thank you Maria!

 

Maria Saliby  45:24  

Of course! And yep. Okay, I'll stop the recording Queen.