Gabriella Wise  0:03  

My name is Gabriella Wise. I'm a student at Virginia Commonwealth University. I'm interviewing Nicole Calderon Cadima from Fairfax and Sterling, Virginia. Today is Tuesday, November 19, 2024, and the time is 2:19pm. This interview is being conducted at the Cabell library on the VCU campus. Nicole, thank you so much for allowing me to interview you.

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  0:28  

Of course, of course.

 

Gabriella Wise  0:31  

So first, we're gonna start off with questions about your family and your background. Could you start us off by sharing where your family's from and about your childhood and how you grow up.

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  0:41  

Yeah. So my mom is from Cochabamba, Bolivia. She was born and raised there. So my brother and I, we have different dads with the same mom. And then my dad is from Cajamarca, Peru. And I know that he immigrated to New York first, and then came down from there to Virginia. And I grew up with mostly my mom and my brother in the house, but my dad had a different family.

 

Gabriella Wise  1:10

Okay. Did your mom or your dad ever talk to you about your... their migration history?

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  1:15 

Yes. Oh just my mom...

 

Gabriella Wise  1:16

Or like their story?

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  1:17

But my dad, I never asked him.

 

Gabriella Wise  1:23  

Okay.

Nicole Calderon Cadima  1:20

Because we didn't have, like, that relationship.

 

Gabriella Wise  1:22

Yeah.

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  1:22

But I did ask my mom, so she told a couple things.

 

Gabriella Wise  1:24 

Yeah? Do you mind sharing anything about it?

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  1:26

Of course. So for my mom's…  she came to Virginia, because her aunt lived here at the time. So she got help from her a lot.

 

Gabriella Wise 1:37

Okay. And then, why did your dad come to Virginia? Do you know?

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  1:40

Yes, oh, no, he, so he went... Oh, from like New York City? Yeah, family. I think he had a lot more relatives here. So he also had to get some help. And so, yeah.

 

Gabriella Wise  1:49

I guess, well, why did he go to New York too?

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  1:51  

I guess because he thought it was, like, you know, the city, there's a lot of opportunities. He was a... what is it they're called? A taxi driver?

 

Gabriella Wise 2:00  

Oh okay. Yeah.

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  2:03  

And so he did that, and then came down here.

 

Gabriella Wise  2:07  

Okay. Do you still have any family living in either of your parents', country of origin?

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  2:11  

Some. Like extended family.

 

Gabriella Wise  2:14  

Okay. Do you talk to them at all? Or have you visited them?

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  2:16  

Well, a lot of them are now coming here. Like recently they've been coming here. So I have, like, a couple siblings, I mean, a couple relatives in Bolivia, and then some are also scattered in like Chile, Argentina, and then also, like England.

Gabriella Wise  2:30  

Okay.

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima 2:31 

For some reason.

 

Gabriella Wise  2:33

That makes sense. So we're gonna switch topics. We're gonna talk about your education. Growing up, where did you go to school, and what's the highest level of education you've gotten so far?

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  2:43

I went to Sugarland Elementary in Sterling, Virginia. And then, yeah, now I'm in college at VCU, so...

 

Gabriella Wise  2:51  

I know you said that you're studying marketing. Is there a reason why? 

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  2:55

So I was actually a journalism major.

 

Gabriella Wise  2:58

Okay.

Nicole Calderon Cadima  2:59  

Oh, no, Mass Communications is what it is, but then you can concentrate in journalism. But I was doing that at first, and then I got a little discouraged, because, you know... Latino parents, they kind of want you to be this big significant figure in life. For us, it's like, what are you doing with your life? Like, what are the sacrifices that I'm making just for you to do something that's not gonna pay off well. 

 

Gabriella Wise  3:19

Yeah 

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  3:20 

So because I didn't get that support from my family, I was like, I'm doing something wrong. So I actually switched from that to computer science. And I was like, I don't like this. I hate this. Like, this is not for me [laughs]. I don't know why I made the switch, because I feel super passionate about journalism, but then I'm not doing it because my family is not approving of it.

 

Gabriella Wise  3:40  

Yeah.

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  3:41 

But then eventually, as I was taking some computer science classes, I also took some classes, like business presentation classes, because I had a little elective. Then I fell in love with the whole side of business and then presenting. But I still miss journalism.

 

Gabriella Wise 3:56

Yeah? Okay. And then, did you grow up with religion? Or are you still religious?

Nicole Calderon Cadima  4:02 

Yes, so my mom... I grew up Catholic in my house. So I was confirmed. I was baptized, you know, all those things. But then as of recently, I don't consider myself Catholic. I think I kind of went through the motion of being, you know, Catholic, but I never really learned in depth as to what it meant. And to be honest, it was just very confusing to see this Catholic family, you know, praise all these morals and things that you should be doing, and then do the opposite. I was like, that's very contradicting, because you're praising how much it is to go to church, do all these things, but then you yourself are not a good person. Or not trying to be, you know? So right now, I don't know what I am. So I said I'm just going with atheist.

 

Gabriella Wise  4: 47

Yeah.

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  4:48

For the meantime until I know.

 

Gabriella Wise  4:51

That makes sense. What's your dynamic like with your immediate family? I guess, your parents. And then did you say you had any siblings?

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  4:56

Yeah, okay, so it's a little like... I have three half siblings. No, psych. Sorry, it's four I always forget the last one, but she's the first one. So my brother, no, my dad had a kid in Peru with his cousin. 

 

Gabriella Wise  5:12

Okay

Nicole Calderon Cadima  5:13

So that's why he kind of went to New York too. Because his uncle... they didn't even know they were cousins, but his uncle threatened to kill him, so he had to escape to New York. And then, so that's my older half sister. And then I have a younger half sister and a younger half brother. So I didn't grow up with them, but they were close by, because they were still in Sterling. We just had different houses.

 

Gabriella Wise  5:35 

Okay.

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  5:36  

And then my older half brother, I grew up with him the most. So, and we have like, a 14 year age gap

 

Gabriella Wise  5:41

Oh, wow.

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  5:43

Yeah.

 

Gabriella Wise  5:45

That's cool. Um, so talking about Sterling, what was it like since you've been growing up there, and how do you think it's changed over time?

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  5:55

Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot to ask, did you want me to, like, repeat the question to the answer or does it matter?

 

Gabriella Wise  5:59

Oh, no, just the answer.

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  6:00 

Okay so can you repeat that?

 

Gabriella Wise  6:01  

Oh, yeah. So just what is Sterling like while you were growing up? And I guess, how has it changed kind of as you've grown up?

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  6:08  

It was a lot smaller before. Growing up, I was like, oh, this is small town. Like, it's so cute. And then it's gotten a lot bigger. There's so much change, but it's really nice. I grew up... the neighborhood that I grew up in it was like... what I've noticed is it was more like the older Senior Living kind of community, but there were also a lot of POCs.

 

Gabriella Wise  6:30 

Okay.

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  6:31  

So just like, I guess lower middle class kind of families?

 

Gabriella Wise  6: 34

Okay.

Nicole Calderon Cadima  6:35

Yeah, but it was... yeah, it's a good place to grow up.

 

Gabriella Wise 6:39

Okay. What has been your experience with the Latino community there? Like, is there a big population?

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  6:45 

Yeah, like, in Sterling, yes, but it's, like, on... I just wasn't near them. Like, I guess, like, the place I grew up in was white senior living families and I guess, like, one or two couple families.

 

Gabriella Wise  6:59

Yeah.

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  7:00

But even then they weren't, like, Hispanic. But... because a lot of my extended family lives around me, like I would see them every week.

 

Gabriella Wise  7:10  

Oh okay. Well, I guess then, what's your experience with those that aren't part of the Latino community? Like, I guess the people you lived around?

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  7:16  

Oh, it's so fun, like, you learn a lot from them. I had a... my best friends growing up were white, but they were also, like, half they're also Puerto Rican. But their dad was not in their life. So they didn't, like, they didn't really get that side of the...

 

Gabriella Wise  7:35  

That's how it was with me yeah.

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  7:36  

So they grew up, like, you know, white people, and I loved it. I learned a lot from them, and I learned a lot of things that I do that is not okay, you know what I mean? Like, my certain behaviors, or way that I would say things that's very like not cool.

 

Gabriella Wise 7:51 

Like what?

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  7:52  

Like... but they also kind of have similar things. Like, you know how Latinos are kind of aggressive or, like, they get, like, angry and impulsive. I think? That's like, something that I would see at home, and then I would do the same thing and that would affect my relationship with my friends.

 

Gabriella Wise  8:11 

Oh, okay, that makes sense.

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  8:12  

I wouldn't even know that I would do it, it would just happen.

 

Gabriella Wise  8:17

That's pretty interesting. Um, what do you think are the biggest obstacles you've encountered? Like, living in Sterling?

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  8:26

I guess I would kind of feel out of place, because, like, with my school, I wouldn't really connect with the Latinos.

 

Gabriella Wise  8:32 

Yeah.

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  8:33 

No, I did at first. Like, growing up in my elementary school, I did. There's so many Latinos I grew up with. Like, oh my God. Like, this is good. Like, you have Salvadorians, we have people from Honduras, like, so many people. And so it felt good. But then entering middle school, you're kind of separated, depending on the classes you take. Luckily enough for me, I had a lot of family that was good at, like, education wise. So they taught me a lot, and so I did take a lot of the harder classes. So then I would not see those people I saw from elementary school at all, and then we kind of like, just slowly distanced ourselves.

 

Gabriella Wise  9:07

Okay, that makes sense. That makes sense. Let's see. I know, you don't currently have a job, but did you have any jobs, like in high school?

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  9:17 

Yeah, so I worked at Sweet Frog for like almost all of high school. And then left that. And then I worked at the Melting Pot over the summer.

 

Gabriella Wise  9:28

What were your experiences like there? Any negative ones? Or is it just normal job stuff?

Nicole Calderon Cadima  9:33  

At Sweet Frog? No, I don't think... not really. Because it's so diverse in NOVA, that everyone's pretty nice. I don't think I've had anything that's like gone wrong.

 

Gabriella Wise  9:45 

That's a good part about NOVA.

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  9:47  

Yeah. But I will say, the way I handle things is very, like, it's such a stereotype, but it's like, very Latina. Like, how do I say it? Because I would do things at the job that was, like, not, okay. That's what I'm saying. Like, it's just impulsive behavior. Very like, lashing out type behavior. And so that's...

 

Gabriella Wise  10:14 

Yeah. Okay, so we're gonna shift and we're gonna talk about the COVID-19 pandemic. So where were you living when the pandemic started, and how did you first learn about it?

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  10:23  

Sterling, so my home. And I think this was about like my sophomore year. So was it right before break? It could have been right before break. But I noticed... which was funny about it was like, I was taking Chem, and I was like, I don't like this class. I wish something would happen right now so I don't have to keep taking this class. Lo and behold, like, two weeks later, the pandemic comes out, and I took it so well. I was like, this is exactly what I needed. Like, I needed a break from, you know, school, family. Just like, time to chill. But then I regretted it, because I picked up habits that I don't like anymore. And it's like, still sticking with me from the pandemic, yeah.

 

Gabriella Wise  11:04  

Yeah? Like, what?

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  11:05  

Like, it was just... with online school, I struggled with that so bad. Like, I had to be in person with people. So just, like, losing interest, not being really engaged with material. Sort of, kind of.

 

Gabriella Wise  11:17

Yeah. Do you feel like having to do school that way, like finishing up high school, affected the way you came into college?

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  11:24  

Yes, oh my goodness, yes. I'm like, the student was before COVID is a completely different person than I am now. Before I was so, like, studious. I loved learning about every single thing. I love that the ways that teachers would teach us. It was different. Like now it's so different, and there's a lot of good things about it, but there's also a lot of bad things about it.

 

Gabriella Wise  11:43

Yeah, it feels very like...

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  11:46  

It feels boring, it feels less interactive. And it's like, I can't retain the information because I'm just reading off a screen and not really applying it with my classmates. I learn better when it's like... people around me are learning at the same time, or just doing things that, like, you know?

 

Gabriella Wise  12:03  

And then retaining it afterwards?

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  12:04 

Exactly. I can never retain information anymore. It's ridiculous.

 

Gabriella Wise  12:08 

So did any of your family members or friends get severely impacted by COVID?

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  12:16  

Yeah. Like my older uncles and aunts. They already struggled with a lot of, like, gut health problems, and so they're a little... I know being overweight kind of, with having COVID makes a little worse. So I think that affected them. It affected my grandma. She was bedridden, she was in the hospital for a couple weeks. And then... but then, other than that, I don't think anything was severe.

 

Gabriella Wise  12:44  

Okay. And then, how do you think, like, Latinos as a whole, were impacted by the pandemic?

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  12:51

Oh, job wise, it was a wreck. Because my mom, almost all my aunts, their occupation is cleaning houses. Yeah, they're with cleaning, housekeeping companies. And then my uncles, they're plumbers. Like with my family, it's like everyone kind of does the same thing. Because we help each other out and kind of just all do the same thing. And so that affected them a lot, because they couldn't really do anything.

 

Gabriella Wise  13:18 

How did they manage that? Like, not being able to work?

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  13:23 

Some of their clients were super generous and considering. And would just give them paychecks regardless.

 

Gabriella Wise  13:29

Oh, that's nice.

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  13:30  

They're like, you know... we know this is your only form of money. So, yeah, they're really nice with it.

 

Gabriella Wise  13:37

That's really good. Did many people you know get vaccinated? And did you get vaccinated?

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  13:42 

Yes. I think almost all my family at home did get, except for a couple. That's because they just have different political views.

 

Gabriella Wise  13:51  

Yeah. Do you think they had like, those feelings of like it was a scam and stuff? I've heard that a lot.

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  13:59 

They just didn't trust it. They were like, we don't know what's in it. We don't... it's just, it was also all of a sudden, like this. The COVID thing was just like a huge change, so they didn't trust anything to begin with.

 

Gabriella Wise  14:10  

It did go from like zero to...

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  14:11  

0 to 100 real quick. And no one saw it coming. I think everyone was in shock. I just did it because I know for a couple things, like, if you wanted to go back to school, or if you wanted to do sports again, you had to have that too.

 

Gabriella Wise  14:25 

And it lasted a long time.

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  14:27  

It did. And also it's like, if you weren't vaccinated, you were kind of like, shamed.

 

Gabriella Wise  14:31

Yeah. I feel like we're still feeling like the COVID stuff.

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  14:35   

Right? It's like, I don't know. It just feels like the last couple years haven't felt real. I don't know what it is. Something just feels off.

 

Gabriella Wise  14:41

It honestly feel like we just jumped.

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  14:43

Yeah, exactly.

 

Gabriella Wise  14:47  

Let's see. So this is gonna be the last section. Do you feel like you belong in Sterling, or is there anything that prevents you from feeling a sense of belonging?

Nicole Calderon Cadima  14:58

I did for, like, almost all my life. And not until recently, like family problems got worse. And then just the whole thing happened, like things shifted, and then it just didn't feel like home again. Like it just didn't have that same feeling or warmth. So when I came here, I got that again, and I was like, wow, this is my home, and that that's kind of just where I grew up. So it's my past home, previous home.

 

Gabriella Wise  15:25  

Why do you think that is like, why do you feel like you belong more here?

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  15:29

I guess I just got, like... I had a better connection with people here. So my friends, we... the things I talk about with them, I've never talked about with my family. And I think they just know a different side of me, because I have to put up a front, kind of like a performance towards my family. Because they see you as this one way, and it's like, you can't change the way they see you.

 

Gabriella Wise  15:51  

And then I know you're in LSA of course.

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  15:52  

Yes.

 

Gabriella Wise  15:53 

Do you feel like that's helped you, like, embrace your identity, especially here at VCU?

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  15:56 

Yes, oh my God yes. Because there's so many different personalities and like, doesn't matter what kind of person you are, who you are, like, everyone's so loved and, yeah.

 

Gabriella Wise  16:05

Yeah. Okay, what do you think of how the issue of immigration is talked about by politicians and the general public?

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  16:14  

I will never understand that. No, I do, but at the same time I don't. I'm like, you people are complaining about it when you yourself stole this land too. So, like, it doesn't make sense. It's like, you're upset with immigration, but this is not yours to begin with. And to be fair, like all these immigrants, they're doing a lot of the work that they don't want to be doing. But then they're complaining about we don't have the jobs. Okay? But you don't want to do it in the first place. And then... but then I understand the other side, when they're saying, like, oh, there are some immigrants who come in here and they just... which is fair, like, I know some people that my mom knew of like, they just don't want to work anymore. They kind of want to be, you know, helped with government benefits. There's certain things, programs that help them. But yeah, I could see both sides of the story, of the argument. But, I don't understand the issue with it, unless it's like, you're bringing bad people in here you know?

 

Gabriella Wise  17:11  

Yeah. For the people that, like, oppose immigration. What is something you would want to say to them?

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  17:20 

No, first of all I'd ask, why are you opposed? Like, what exactly is it about immigration that bothers you so much, that affects your day to day life? Because if it's like, not really affecting you, then I don't know why you're complaining about it.

 

Gabriella Wise  17:32

Yeah, I know there's a lot of issues with just like racism, discrimination.

Nicole Calderon Cadima  17:35 

It's just like, white supremacy for some people, or just like, I don't know. Because I think there are some people, some Latinos, who can carry a bad rep, and then you have one experience with one bad Latino, and then that person thinks that all Latinos are like that. So then, yeah. Which is not the deal. Like some people... everyone's different, there's good people and there's bad people.

 

Gabriella Wise  17:57  

Yeah. What would you like the public to know from your life story? I guess, is there anything you want students to take away from...

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  18:08  

I will say something I learned recently. When you are really, like, close knit with your Latino family, like family is so important to them. It's like... they always tell me, you have your friends, yes, but you will always have your family. Like your friends can betray you. They can do these things, like you never know what kind of person they are, kind of like giving them a bad rep. Like friends are not... they shouldn't be your family. But friends can also be your family, and sometimes your own family, like they're your biggest enemies, like your biggest haters. They say all these things about emotional and physical support, but sometimes they're the ones that drag us down. Yeah. So I would say that's one thing I learned recently. But even then, I think they just act that way because they themselves, haven't, like, reflected with their childhood. Because I know trauma affects the way they think or see certain things. And they carry certain behaviors that like, from their childhood, that affected them and makes them act that way. And I don't think they understand that yet, which is why, like, I'm excited to go back on break because I want to have these conversations with them. Because they haven't been talked about, so.

 

Gabriella Wise  19:17  

It's cool being the person to bring this stuff up. How do you think they'll receive it?

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  19:21  

Not well, because I've tried, I've really tried. And they see it as an attack, because they don't like to... at least for my family, they don't like criticism. They want to be praised, like you're such a good person. But it's sometimes, you need to hear the hard truth. You know, sometimes you hurt people, and you have to recognize what it is that you do that hurts those people.

 

Gabriella Wise  19:40 

Yeah. Okay. And is there anything you want to add that we may not have talked about?

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  19:48  

I can't think of anything.

 

Gabriella Wise  19:49  

Okay, well, that's all the questions I have then. Thanks so much for speaking with me.

 

Nicole Calderon Cadima  19:53 

Thank you.