From The Integration of Dominican, Chinese, Russian and Mexican Immigrants in NYC
Kevin: “Personally, I've never done any interviews before and it was the most frustrating thing to get an organization to interview as they all are very busy. However, after everything was all said and done, it was a great experience as I learned about the Russian immigrants behind the statistical data. I interviewed a staff member of Brighton Beach Neighborhood Association and I really didn't know how ethnocentric they were until she told me.”
Stephanie: “The research process was a difficult one. After hitting brick wall after brick wall with scheduling interviews with organizations, the true beauty of the process came when I was actually able to speak with The Shorefront YM-YWHA. During the interview, I was able to learn about the personal challenges behind the Census data. These organizations' passion and willingness to help was surprising at first, but inspiring in the end.”
Aimee: “Conducting a research project on immigration in NYC was definitely an eye-opening experience. What I loved about the whole process was how up close and personal we were able to get by interviewing organizations who knew first-hand what immigrants go through. I learned a great deal this semester about all the foreign-born groups we concentrated on, but more importantly I learned how unrelenting most immigrants are to make it in America and make better lives for themselves and their families.”
Chi: “I found this research project, though tedious and frustrating at times, to be extremely rewarding. By comparing and contrasting the quantitative and qualitative data from the U.S. Census Bureau and my interviews, I have learned a great deal about the experiences that Mexican immigrants often face when coming to the United States. The best part about this project was that I got to meet and become friends with some of the most down-to-earth people through conducting my interviews. They have motivated me to go out there and advocate on behalf of the immigrant communities in New York City.”
Sara: "I was surprised how little documentation status affected the immigrants’ access to the services provided by the community-based organizations."
Zeehan: “I particularly enjoyed the hunt involved this project, the challenge of attaining in depth research which took more than a click of a mouse. The study of the immigrant groups helped me better understand the dynamics of the city I live in. A city, which I learned, is better compared as jigsaw puzzle than a melting pot, in terms of its diversity.”
Jerrica: “I learned so much about immigration in New York from this research project. My focus was Chinese immigrants. I had no idea they had such difficulty with the English language and I had no idea the struggles immigrants go through for basic survival. It astonishes me to this day the process immigrants must endure to become citizens of this nation. This project was definitely eye-opening and I hope I can pass this information on to others.”
Lisa: “Through this extensive project, I have learned many interesting facts regarding immigration into New York City and the integration process. I enjoyed learning the different problems that each ethnic group faces and why these problems might only affect their own specific group. For example, language serves as one of the largest adversities faced by the Chinese and most cannot get a firm grasp of the English language. However, it is not necessary for them to learn it since they have created Chinese communities where they can get by with only speaking Chinese. The most frustrating part of the project was receiving permission to interview an organization since most groups ignored our calls and e-mails.”
Julianna: “I enjoyed doing my research. It was difficult when I couldn't further communications with the City Bar Justice Center, but I loved interviewing the teachers at P.S. 212. It was interesting to hear their stories, and compare the thoughts from teacher to teacher. I also found myself asking a lot more questions than I thought I would because I found out more than I intended.”
Michelle: “I enjoyed researching and learning about other immigrant groups. I felt like I really learned something because I personally was the one doing the research. It’s better then just reading something out of a textbook. I think you learn more when you’re the one finding the facts. My favorite part was the interviews.”
Debbie: “Through this research project, I have learned interesting facts about Mexican immigrants and how they have contributed to the New York City culture that I would not have known otherwise. I learned is that Mexican immigrants are relatively new to New York City. I also learned that finding a specific neighborhood where Mexicans live is difficult because Mexicans do not settle in one certain area as I had previously believed.”
Fred: “The overall process of researching the Mexican immigrants of NYC was greatly aided by the wealth of information found on the Internet. Outside of tremendous statistical information, I also learned a lot about the diversity within what I thought was a relatively homogeneous group. I was also surprised at the sheer number of organizations meant to help immigrants and their effect on communities.”
Alex: “I found trying to get the interview quite frustrating because it took so long. However, I was glad that I finally got the interview done just on time for the presentation. I also learned that in order to do an interview, you must be proactive and persistent. In the interview itself, I was surprised to learn that poverty is such a problem in the Chinese community because I thought, I guess, that Asians were supposed to be the "model minority," and that therefore Chinese people would have an easier time integrating than, say, Latin American immigrants.”
Matt: “Learning about the immigrants from the Dominican Republic has been an eye-opening experience for me. I liked the fact that we, as in our group, were able to travel to the core of where the Dominican immigrants live (Washington Heights) and interview the organizations that deal with Dominican immigrants firsthand. I’ve learned that language incorporation is one of the essential problems that both the Dominican immigrants and the organizations have to face today.”
HaeMin: “I've learned how a lot of factors interrelate with each other and contribute to the immigrant integration process. Among those factors, many of them are challenges, rather than opportunities, that make the integration process rather difficult. With a little more concern and care from organizations, as well as from ourselves, the integration process can be easier for immigrants.”
Susie: “Trying to get in touch with community-based organizations required patience and persistence. However, the effort paid off. Being able to speak to representatives of these organizations has opened my eyes to the real issues that affect the lives of immigrants. Seeing how the organizations really work hard and put effort into bettering the lives of their patrons has inspired me to be more proactive about voicing these problems to the public and getting involved in solving them.”
Natasha: “I learned a lot about how to retrieve information about immigrants. I always knew the Census information was generally available for anyone’s use but the research experience helped me see how to access it and understand it. I also was surprised about how difficult it is to obtain help as an immigrant, especially undocumented immigrants. Usually we just expect the immigrants to learn the language and progress in our society, with little thought of what that involves. However, this research project explained it all in better detail.”
Gabriel: “For me, the research experience was eye-opening in two ways. Not only did I get an inside look at community-run organizations and how they help their respective immigrant populations, but I also learned the hardships behind conducting first-hand research through interviews. The interviews were hectic to schedule and required patience and persistence, but in the end they provided me with data and information that the Internet and library simply could not compare to. With our interview data, in conjunction with the statistical population data we collected in the beginning of the year, I got a complete look at the integration experience of Chinese immigrants in NYC.”
