Oral Research Project: Ellen Gonzales

Skyline College/North San Mateo County Oral History Archives, Skyline College Library
Student project for LSCI 110 – Digital Oral Research Project, Skyline College

Ellen Gonzales

Click here to read to read the research essay, “A Level Below”, by Rosa Montoya

Click on the links below to hear audio segments from an April 2005 interview by Rosa Montoya with Ellen Gonzales,
a resident in Daly City that came from the Philippines almost 16 years ago with her husband and newborn child
to live her goals and dreams and have a better life here in America
but discovered that living here was going to be a bit hard because of discrimination especially towards her Filipino accent.

Ellen and her husband Allen

Table of Contents:

1. Introduction

3. Growing up in the Philippines

4. Goals and Dreams

5. Learning English

6. Coming to the U.S.

7. Age when coming to the U.S.

8. Leaving home

9. First Arriving

10. Family locations

12. Job in the Philippines

13. A shift in dreams

16. Discrimination

17. More English

18. Location when coming

20. Second Chance

Segment 1
Introduction: (92 KB)
Full name, birthday and place of birth

Back to Table of Contents

Segment 2
Siblings (62 KB)

Family members

Ellen in the middle holding her firstborn and her family in the Philippines.

Back to Table of Contents

Segment 3
Growing up in the Philippines (183 KB)
Description of her childhood and parents

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Segment 4
Goals and dreams (142 KB)
Goals and dreams when growing up

Ellen and her First Born son Jordan

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Segment 5
Learning English (63 KB)
How Ellen learned English

Segment 6
Coming to the U.S. (155 KB)
How Ellen came to the U.S. and how she met her husband

Ellen getting married with her husband Allen in the Philippines.

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Segment 7 (89 KB)
Age when coming to the U.S.
Age when she came to the U.S.

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Segment 8
Leaving home (220 KB)
How she felt about leaving the Philippines

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Segment 9
First Arriving (97 KB)

How life was when first arriving

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Segment 10

Family locations (178 KB)

Where here family members are now

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Segment 11

First Job (152 KB)

Her first job here in the United States

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Segment 12

Job in the Philippines (140 KB)

Her job description in the Philippines

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Segment 13

A shift in dreams (147 KB)

Goals and dreams changing here in the U.S.

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Segment 14

Adjusting (278 KB)

Adjusting at work and new surroundings

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Segment 15

Struggles (195 KB)

What struggles came about here in the U.S.

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Segment 16

Discrimination (276 KB)

Dealing with discrimination

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Segment 17

More English (112 KB)

Learning more English once you were here

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Segment 18

Location when coming (47 KB)

Where did you live when you first arrived in the U.S.

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Segment 19

Living now (210 KB)

What do you do for a living now

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Segment 20

Second Chance (286 KB)

If you could do it all over again would she?

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Segment 21

Happy Now? (165 KB)

Found happiness? Do you consider yourself successful??

Ellen and her family @ California adventures in Anaheim.(2005)

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*These audio files may be played with Windows Media Player or Real Player.
To download a free copy of Windows Media Player, click here.
To download a free copy of Real Player, click here.

last revised: 12-20-05
by Eric Brenner, Skyline College, San Bruno, CA
These materials may be used for educational purposes if you inform and credit the author and cite the source as: North San Mateo County Oral History Archives, Skyline College Library. All commercial rights are reserved. To contact the coordinator, or send comments or suggestions, email: Eric Brenner at brenner@smccd.net