Pre-Interview Framework

Prior to interviewing Eduardo, I had watched him give a speech at the Noche Dorada event, in which he spoke about his story of moving from rural Mexico to East Los Angeles, and finally the way in which his migration affects his life at Dartmouth College. I was very touched by his story and going into the interview I knew that he would be repeating some of the stories he had already talked about during the event, because of this I wanted my interview questions to happen organically. I prepared my pre-interview framework to be centered on the three places that has had an impact on Eduardo’s life: Mexico, East Los Angeles, and Dartmouth College.

Mexico

  1. What was life like in Mexico, when you were little? Do you have key memories?
  2. Did you like school?
  3. What were your grandparents like when you were younger?
  4. What was it like when your mother told you she was leaving Mexico?

East Los Angeles

  1. What was your first memory when you came to the U.S.?
  2. How would you describe your first experience with the U.S.? Was it a culture shock?
  3. Can you remind me of the speech that your counselor gave you that you talked about during Noche?
  4. Moving on to high school, would you say high school was more successful as far as classes went? What about your interpersonal relationships?
  5.  I have a friend who struggled a lot when she was applying for colleges because she is undocumented migrant. She was very unsure on where she would apply to because she had no idea what the options were, so until she saw another student who was in the same situation come to Dartmouth, that’s how she ended up here. Was that something that was also a challenge for you?

Dartmouth College

  1. What is the experience now looking back on where you have been, where you have gone? And now at Dartmouth, do you reflect upon the experiences that you have had? And how they affect your family and how they affect you?
  2. Are you going to apply to Deferred Action for Early Childhood Arrivals, DACA?
  3. Does technology make it easier to keep in touch with family?
  4. I know that you told me a little bit about the financial situation of your family, have you found yourself sending money home or supporting them from afar?
  5. What has been the most challenging thing about being at Dartmouth and being an undocumented migrant?

Interview Transcript