Oral history interview with Kim You Taing conducted by Vanessa Concepcion, Cecilia Winchell, and Stefani Evans on November 15, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. Kim discusses his upbringing in Cambodia during the Cambodian Civil War, the death of his siblings from tragedy and his father from racially-motivated war crimes, and his immigration to the United States as a refugee. He shares how he and his mother lived and worked in the United States, first in Seattle, Washington and then in Las Vegas, Nevada. Kim talks about his work in the hospitality industry in various Vegas hotels and casinos and his membership with the Culinary Workers Union advocating for Asian workers. He also discusses family life with his wife and daughter and his plans to retire.
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Oral history interview with Lisa Song Sutton conducted by Cecilia Winchell, Vanessa Concepcion, and Stefani Evans on November 19, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. Lisa shares her personal history and childhood memories moving from Seoul, South Korea to Sierra Vista, Arizona at the age of five. She discusses her educational and professional pursuits in business litigation, bankruptcy law, entrepreneurship, modeling, and her time in the pageant circuit winning Miss Vegas and Miss Nevada in 2013. Lisa also talks about her activism and community engagement efforts to empower women within Las Vegas. She concludes her interview with insight into her Korean heritage, traditional celebrations, and religion.
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Oral history interview with Charlotte Pittman conducted by Vanessa Concepcion, Cecilia Winchell, and Stefani Evans on November 29, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. Charlotte discuses her heritage and family's histories as well as her childhood growing up in Manila, Philippines with her cousins and Lola (paternal grandmother). She talks about immigrating to the United States and growing up in Pueblo, Colorado before attending the Air Force Academy to become a pilot and moving to Las Vegas with her husband. Charlotte also shares memories from her time serving in the Air Force, her plans to retire in the near future, and her current activities with her family.
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Oral history interview with Jean Munson conducted by Vanessa Concepcion, Cecilia Winchell, and Stefani Evans on November 30, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. Jean discusses her childhood growing up in Guam, the nursing career path of her parents, and her decision to pursue an "unconventional path" as a comic book artist. She talks about her education at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, her passion for the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community within Las Vegas, and her roles in community activism and leadership. Jean also shares her current pursuits as a podcaster of Bruha Baddies, co-owner and printer of Plot Twist Publishing, and co-founder of the Comic and Zines Festival.
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Oral history interview with Marie Antoinette Antonio conducted by Cecilia Winchell and Stefani Evans on December 4, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. Marie reflects on her upbringing in Cagayan de Oro, Philippines and her love of music that came from her mother. Marie talks about studying music in college and traveling with her husband to Guam to become a music teacher at a Catholic school before immigrating to San Jose, California. She shares the culture shock they faced adapting to life in the United States and the higher cost of living in California, which caused the couple to move to Las Vegas. Marie discusses her life in Las Vegas, traditions and cultural celebrations she partakes in, and the American Dream.
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Oral history interview with Chris Lee conducted by Cecelia Winchell and Stefani Evans on December 14, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. Judge Chris Lee reflects on the lives of his parents, their occupations and experiences during the Korean War, and his family's decision to immigrate from Incheon, South Korea to Las Vegas. He recalls memories from his childhood visiting family in Korea, Korean traditions and food, his educational pursuits, and the livelihood of his parents after immigrating. Chris also shares details of his employment history as Deputy District Attorney for the Clark County District Attorney's Office, as Deputy Secretary of State for Southern Nevada, as the first Asian American elected to the Clark County Justice Court bench, and presently as Judge in Department 1 of the North Las Vegas Municipal Court.
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Oral history interview with Kevin Chung conducted by Cecelia Winchell, Stefani Evans, and Jerwin Tiu on December 18, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. Kevin Chung discusses his upbringing in Southern Vietnam and how he and his family were forced to leave the country during the Vietnam War. Chung talks about his family's migration to Minnesota and how they adapted to American culture. He shares his educational background, his professional pursuits as a teacher, and the reasons he and his wife decided to move to Las Vegas. Chung reflects on the importance of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) in education with an emphasis on the arts and shares his teaching philosophy. He also gives details of his family's lives and talks about the importance of bringing together his Vietnamese and American cultures to connect the different generations of his family.
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Oral history interview with Linh Fee conducted by Cecilia Winchell, Stefani Evans, and Jerwin Tiu on February 4, 2022 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. Linh Fee talks about her family life growing up in Oahu, Hawaii, how her parents met in Vietnam, and memories of her childhood with her six siblings. She shares how she moved to Las Vegas, Nevada to find work after graduating from college at the University of Hawaii and her brief time working in the hospitality industry as a cocktail server. Fee discusses her career change to become a dental hygienist and life with her husband and three children.
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Oral history interview with Juliana Chen conducted by Cecilia Winchell and Stefani Evans on March 21, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Juliana Chen shares her upbringing in Hunan, China and her experiences as a teenager training to become a professional ballet dancer. She discusses her rigorous training and troupe career that ended when Chen sustained a knee injury. With a desire to try something new while still being able to perform, Chen immigrated to Vancouver, Canada and began practicing magic. Chen shares that although she didn't know anyone or speak English, she practiced her craft and broadened her knowledge by joining professional organizations including the International Brotherhood of Magicians. After winning several magic competitions, Chen performed on the Las Vegas Strip at Caesar's Palace and the Riviera Hotel and Casino. She shares her current professional pursuits, her connection to the Las Vegas magician community, and her thoughts on Chinese culture and cuisine.
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Oral history interview with Elena Newman conducted by Cecilia Winchell and Stefani Evans on April 11, 2022 for the Reflections: the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Newman discusses her childhood in Dagupan, Pangasinan, Philippines. At the age of eighteen, she moved to Singapore for better work opportunities to help support her family. After meeting her husband, the couple moved to Las Vegas, Nevada. Since moving to Las Vegas, Newman has spent her time working as both a guest room attendant and shop steward at Mandalay Bay. She is also a part of the Culinary Workers Union, and she discusses how helpful the union is to the livelihoods of the many workers in the casino industry.
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