Eileen Brown  00:00

Uh, this is Barrett Brown, and I am interviewing Genesis Rosas. The date is April 18, 2024 and we're in the Cabell Library at Virginia Commonwealth University. So, let me talk talk. Let's talk about how your family got to Virginia. How long had they been in Texas --Florida, when you got there, when you arrived?

 

Genesis Rosas  00:33

They were probably there three years, two to three years. I think, okay.

 

Eileen Brown  00:40

Do you have family still in Columbia?

 

Genesis Rosas  00:44

Yes

 

Eileen Brown  00:45

How about Florida?

 

Genesis Rosas  00:46

Yes

 

Eileen Brown  00:45

Yes, Texas?

 

Genesis Rosas  00:48

No

 

Eileen Brown  00:49

Oh, okay. Anybody in Virginia?

 

Genesis Rosas  00:52

I have a cousin.

 

Eileen Brown  00:53

Okay. So you've got a lot of family all over. In your lifetime, does it look to you like this area that Richmond has changed at all?

 

Genesis Rosas  01:07

I think physically, it's developed. I think from the moment we got here though, it's kind of socially been the same. 

 

Eileen Brown  01:16

Okay, you mean, how do you mean socially? 

 

Genesis Rosas  01:20

It's always been kind of like, diverse, okay, just I think me, because I'm at VCU, I see a lot of diversity.

 

Eileen Brown  01:26

And yeah, I think you're right. So what's been your experience with the Latino community here?

 

Genesis Rosas  01:35

So I think in high school and undergrad, I didn't get much of an experience like with the Latino community. I went to high school in short pump, so it's like predominantly white and I had my cousin there, but I don't think I had anyone that spoke Spanish in my class. I'm not too sure. And then undergrad, I commuted a lot, so I didn't really make friends. It was just kind of comfort class. I did know that there was a Latino like group organization, LSA, I think, but I didn't join them. I don't know why. I think that's because mostly I wasn't I was commuting, so it was kind of hard to even like commit to things

 

Eileen Brown  02:21

Yeah, that makes sense, yeah. So in being here and commuting, what was the biggest obstacle in getting being as successful as you have been?

 

Genesis Rosas  02:35

I don't think I've had too many obstacles. I've been blessed with that. I think just the commuting actually was the hardest

 

Eileen Brown  02:45

What resources made it possible for you to get to college, get a graduate degree?

 

Genesis Rosas  02:52

I did get a scholarship from VCU, for undergrad and for pharmacy school, so that alleviated some financial stressors. I don't think that was really ever like, a too big of an obstacle, because my parents were always like, do what you have to do. Let's see.

 

Eileen Brown  03:13

Was there any sense of "Well, girls don't do science"?

 

Genesis Rosas  03:17

No, actually, no. I think I've always had like, also the mentality of, I want to be, want to continue, like, the first in my family, so being like, the first doctor also, like, that'd be, so I just kind of went

 

Eileen Brown  03:30

That's pretty cool. That's interesting. Okay,  and you talked about there were some organizations, but you're too busy commuting. Are you involved in any political movements while you're here?

 

Genesis Rosas  03:48

No

 

Eileen Brown  03:56

We're gonna talk about COVID. What was your experience with COVID?

 

Genesis Rosas  04:01

Basically, just being inside doing like, Zoom classes, Zoom University. I also worked during that time. I had just started working at the pharmacy when that happened, so I was needed, so it was kind of just working, and then being at home watching a bunch of TV.

 

Eileen Brown  04:24

Do you think it impacted Latino community more than the white community?

 

Genesis Rosas  04:34

I don't know if I would say more. Possibly, like, financially, maybe like, work wise, maybe, like, I don't know, because like to like stereotype, I guess, like, most Hispanics are doing, like, technical jobs. And maybe they're not like exact, actually, like essential, like health care professional, which I think is still kind of predominantly like white

 

Eileen Brown  05:04

Except for sure, going to bust that. Do you remember how you learned about COVID for the first time? 

 

Genesis Rosas  05:12

I was in Colombia, actually, for spring break with my friend, and we heard about, like, some virus going around, and then we got on the flight back to Richmond, and we got a text from VCU saying that spring break was extended, yeah, but I hadn't heard of anything else like before that

 

Eileen Brown  05:36

Was it prevalent in Colombia?

 

Genesis Rosas  05:39

It didn't seem like it. No, I didn't come across anyone sick.

 

Eileen Brown  05:43

So what was your reaction? It's like weee more spring vacation? 

 

Genesis Rosas  05:47

Kind of, yeah, kind of like, oh, this will pass. 

 

Eileen Brown  05:51

How did your family deal with it? Because you've got younger brothers, how did, how did that work? 

 

Genesis Rosas  05:57

So they were in New Jersey when that all happened, and I was here in Richmond, I think they were okay. My mom stayed at home with my brothers, and then my dad still worked. I think my mom had a little time, like, struggling with like online school with the kids, because also, like, education has changed.  So I think that caught her off guard, but she managed

 

Eileen Brown  06:24

Yeah, that was hard. So was anybody in your family that are close, far away, think it was impacted, or did you all escape?

 

Genesis Rosas  06:38

We all did get COVID, at some point, but everybody's been healthy. 

 

Eileen Brown  06:41

Everybody's been healthy. Yeah, that's great. Do you think Latinos impacted worse? Well, we talked about that. Never mind. Did anybody you know get vaccinated?

 

Genesis Rosas  06:52

Yeah, my mom and dad did. I did. Bunch of my friends did as well. I don't know. I think my grandmother's grandparents, my cousins, did as well. I think everybody did

 

Eileen Brown  07:09

So, any any objection to wearing masks?

 

Genesis Rosas  07:12

No

 

Eileen Brown  07:23

But yeah, that's interesting. So, do you feel like you belong in Richmond, Virginia?

 

Genesis Rosas  07:27

I think so. Yeah,

 

Eileen Brown  07:29

All right. Well, that's great. Have you ever suppressed your heritage, Latino heritage, or felt that you needed to?

 

Genesis Rosas  07:43

No, I don't think so. I've always been, like, pretty open about it, like, especially if I'm like, asked, like, where are you from? I never get offended by that. I've gotten asked if I'm like, Indian, I guess I kinda look like Indian. But I've never, like, really suppressed it, even when I was like, in like, elementary school, I would take like, kind of weird meals, like white rice, chicken and ketchup. Nobody does that but I would still take my food, because it's what I'm used to. Yeah, I wasn't really affected.

 

Eileen Brown  08:15

Did you ever have any unpleasant experiences? Because of your Indian heritage?

 

Genesis Rosas  08:27

No, I mean, I don't have Indian heritage.

 

Eileen Brown  08:30

No, I'm being facetious.

 

Genesis Rosas  08:27

It's just, I don't think so. I also, like, if I did, I don't think it ever really affected me. I didn't let it, like, get to me. I think I'm pretty strong willed in that. Like, I never, like, thought I was bullied.

 

Eileen Brown  08:46

How did you manage that? I mean, everybody. I mean so many people feel like they've been bullied or looked down on her dissed in some way. 

 

Genesis Rosas  08:55

Yeah, I think I just laugh it off. I think my mom also did a pretty good job of, like, raising me to be, like, independent and, like, confident in, I guess, like, who I am. Like, sure, I have, like, things I'm not confident in, but, like, essentially, like, that's my family, yeah, everything that comes from family, like, I'm pretty proud of. So it's just like, you get I can't really be talked down on that. 

 

Eileen Brown  09:24

Yeah, absolutely. Well, we have ripped right through this. When you hear politicians talk about immigration and using expressions like illegal immigrants, how does that make you feel? I

 

Genesis Rosas  09:39

I don't really feel anything towards it. I don't really read too much into the connotation that people might add to like the terminology illegal. It's doesn't really have much influence [on her]

 

Eileen Brown  09:59

Okay. What do you. Anyway, what would you like people to know about you and about your your life so far?

 

Genesis Rosas  10:10

I think I've been blessed. I'm a I think I'm a different perspective of, like, what it's like to be Hispanic growing up in America. Because I now that I'm like, in front of school, I've had, like, some friends that do speak Spanish, and they actually come from other countries, and they moved here for school. And they're like, hardships are very different from mine, like they had to, like, work to help support their family and all of that. Um, but I've been lucky. And where my dad has been has has been able to, like, provide for the family. He was able to find a pretty good job. And my mom getting her education, I don't think you hear that much of like mom, like Hispanic moms going back to school to get their education, because she she didn't finish high school till I was, like, four or five. She got her GED at that age. So like for her to go back, I think it's a very different, like perspective, and then also, like growing up in mostly, like white suburbs. I might not have had, like, Hispanic friends, but I was, I still had, like, the core values at home. So like that never really, like influenced me. I mean, I can, like, use, like, the terminal terminology that I'm like, whitewashed because I've been in like, white suburban areas, but I think I still have, like, my roots, yeah, like Hispanic culture.

 

Eileen Brown  11:36

Speaking of which, I forgot one big issue, which is a religion. Were you brought up in a church of any kind? 

 

Genesis Rosas  11:43

I was. We're pretty much like, non denomination Christians

 

Eileen Brown  11:47

Right, Has that been a big part, little part?

 

Genesis Rosas  11:50

I think a big part. Okay, yeah. We have like two or three pastors in our family. Oh, so, yeah, pretty big thing.

 

Eileen Brown  11:59

Yeah. So are you? Is it? It is a close community that your church?

 

Genesis Rosas  12:06

So we moved around a lot, so kind of hard to have a close community. But now that we moved here, my mom and dad actually did start. They're part of, like a pilot Spanish church with chapel. And that seems to be, like a big but small community. At the same time, a lot of Hispanics there. I think they have, like maybe 200 people. So it's like big but small.

 

Eileen Brown  12:32

Yeah, it's not a mega church, but that's good size. Church must be nice to hear Spanish.

 

Genesis Rosas  12:38

It's, it's, I feel like Spanish is sometimes, or, like any romantic language, it's very expressive, yeah, very metaphorical. And I like that

 

Eileen Brown  12:46

Yeah, let me see if I have forgotten anything else. I don't think so. I think that's it. Here is my treat, a thank you gift for you.

 

Genesis Rosas  13:06

Thank you.

 

Eileen Brown  13:08

And you have to sign a form, of course.