Interview with Silvia Briones

Creator

Silvia Briones
Ashley Mariscal

Files

Creation Date

5-2024

Description

Interview with Sylvia Briones about her life and family history. Sylvia, born and raised in Pharr, Texas, recounts her father’s immigration to the U.S. through the Bracero Program in the 1950s, and his eventual petitioning for the family’s legal residency. Raised in a large family, Sylvia emphasizes the importance her father placed on education, steering his children away from manual labor. Sylvia describes a simple childhood in a tight-knit, predominantly Mexican-American neighborhood, contrasting it with the more affluent, predominantly Anglo areas.

She details her fascination with immigration processes, which influenced her career path. Despite financial challenges and limited guidance, Sylvia pursued higher education and eventually a career with the U.S. government. She highlights the hurdles faced as a woman in a male-dominated field, including inadequate equipment and gender biases. Her perseverance led her to a successful career, making her father proud. Sylvia's narrative underscores themes of resilience, the value of education, and the complexities of navigating cultural and institutional landscapes as an immigrant family.

Physical Description

.WAV, 1536 kbps, 00:23:20

Recommended Citation

ANTH 4306/6306 Anthropology of Borders, Border Studies Archive, UTRGV Digital Library, The University of Texas – Rio Grande Valley. Accessed via https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/anthborders