Monique Vasquez Oral History

Monique Vasquez was born in San Diego and is a soon-to-be college student of San Diego State University. Born to Mexican immigrant parents, Monique identifies as a first-generation Latina who holds experience in traveling between the United States-Mexico border. Her mobility has allowed her to live between two worlds, identifying the differences between them. Monique has been formally part of Barrio Logan College Institute ever since she was in 3rd grade but holds more informal experience due to siblings also being part of BLCI. This interview covers topics such as cultural norms, the power of mobility, family, the community organization of Barrio Logan College Institute, and COVID-19. These topics often overlapped demonstrating that one topic was in some way, shape, or form, connected to another topic. Meeting Monique occurred through our medium of Karla Zuñiga, the College and Career Success Specialist of Barrio Logan College Institute. The Race and Oral History interview occurred over Zoom in order to practice social distance during the COVID-19 pandemic. The interview was conducted by Jose Lopez, a fourth-year History major at UCSD who is interested in educating youth about alternative History.