Abstract
Oral history interview with Tessa Marie Winkelmann conducted by Cecilia Winchell and Stefani Evans on October 21, 2022 for the Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Tessa Winkelmann recalls her transient childhood due to her father's job as a chef for Hyatt International which led to their family relocating to several places before they eventually landed in the Coachella Valley, California. Her mother, as a recent Filipino immigrant, stayed at home taking care of Winkelmann and her two siblings for a number of years before also beginning to work in sales at hotels. Winkelmann recalls her grandmother, who helped raise her and her siblings by cooking and taking care of them. She recalls living in a poorer part of Coachella Valley and having to attend school in a neighboring town without adequate transportation. Winkelmann attended the University of California, Irvine, where she majored in English and political science. She later attended San Francisco State University and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for graduate school. Winkelmann discusses the themes of her research, touching on interracial relationships and their influence on colonial relations between the Philippines and the West. Throughout the interview, Winkelmann touches on topics regarding her identity, life in Las Vegas, and other aspects of her journey.
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Scope and Contents Note
Oral history interview with Tessa Marie Winkelmann conducted by Cecilia Winchell and Stefani Evans on October 21, 2022 for the Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Tessa Winkelmann recalls her transient childhood due to her father's job as a chef for Hyatt International which led to their family relocating to several places before they eventually landed in the Coachella Valley, California. Her mother, as a recent Filipino immigrant, stayed at home taking care of Winkelmann and her two siblings for a number of years before also beginning to work in sales at hotels. Winkelmann recalls her grandmother, who helped raise her and her siblings by cooking and taking care of them. She recalls living in a poorer part of Coachella Valley and having to attend school in a neighboring town without adequate transportation.
Winkelmann attended the University of California, Irvine, where she majored in English and political science and found her calling in the campus Cross-cultural Center. Through that experience, she found her interest in ethnic studies and attended San Francisco State University and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for graduate school. Winkelmann discusses the themes of her research, touching on interracial relationships and their influence on colonial relations between the Philippines and the West. She cites her research as being strongly influenced by her background and the efforts she has made as an adult to learn about her history. Throughout the interview, Winkelmann touches on topics regarding her identity, life in Las Vegas, and other aspects of her journey. This interview audio is close; transcript not yet available.
Access Note
An edited version of this transcript will be available for research use, but access to the sound recording and supplementary information are closed for 50 years from the interview date. Full collection is open for research use in 2072. Please contact special.collections@unlv.edu for further information.
Publication Rights
Materials in this collection may be protected by copyrights and other rights. See Reproductions and Use on the UNLV Special Collections and Archives website for more information about reproductions and permissions to publish. Some transcripts do not exist in final form, therefore any editing marks in a transcript (deletions, additions, corrections) are to be quoted as marked.
Preferred Citation
Tessa Marie Winkelmann oral history interview, 2022 October 21. OH-03878. [Cite format consulted: Audio recording or Transcript.] Oral History Research Center, Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Acquisition Note
This interview was conducted and transcribed by the Oral History Research Center (OHRC) which is part of the UNLV University Libraries Special Collections and Archives Division.
Processing Note
Interview materials were processed by UNLV Libraries Special Collections and Archives in 2022. Sarah Jones wrote the collection description.