Ana Martinez, a 19-year-old, is interviewed by her sister about being the first in her family to go to college (a “first gen.”).

She is now in her second year and changed her career from wanting to become a nurse to wanting to become a cosmetologist. She and her sister discuss what it feels to be in a community college [Trade Tech], and how it felt like changing one career to another.

They also discuss about family and how they affect/impact each other. Her sister asks her what she thinks about the people that are around her life. 

She hopes that she will be more successful and happier when she’s done with college.

Transcript:

Elizabeth Flores: So um can you introduce yourself?

Ana Martinez: My name is Ana Martinez, I’m 19 and I go to Trade Tech college- LATTC. 

EF: Oh okay. So um, simple question um tell me a bit about yourself… like your hobbies.

AM:  Mmm, well, I like makeup, I like listening to music, and I like doing hair.

EF: Okay, what, type of music-

AM: I love watching movies.

EF: What type of movies and what type of music do you like to listen to ?

AM: Really do I need to answer that?

EF: Yes. Do you listen to pop Ana?

AM: No I don’t.

EF: What do you listen to?

AM: I listen to, rock.

EF: I’m pretty sure for the other type of music, people are like “Oh do you like Indie music?” Like isn’t it Indie music?

AM: No it’s not. I do not listen to Indie music.

EF: Okay. So umm, what type of person do you want to be like when you’re older like like how do you, how do you want your lifestyle to like be like-

AM: I want my lifestyle to be fabulous. I want to be a cosmetologist. So in order to do that I have to have a lot of attitude and have a lot of self confidence. So, that’s how I want to- that how I want to see myself in the future. I wanna be fabulous.

EF: Okay umm, so since you’re the first generation from our family to be going to college, how do you feel?

AM: I feel, very pressured, just cause I’m the first daughter but, I’m happy that, I did itIm getting to do what I want to do.

EF: Okay so like since you star- cause you said since you’re in your second year, um, with the people that you’ve seen in college, do you like them, or um what are they- what are they like?

AM: Yes, I love my cosmetologist friend. We all help out each other with all these ideas and also homework so yeah.

EF: Umm, now that you’re in your second year do you fell like you have like more experience to how – to work in class or is it like completely weird to you? 

AM: Now that I’m in my second year I know what I wanna do. Like in my first year, I wanted to be something else but then I changed my major, and, this is what I really chose to do and it took me a year to figure that out. 

EF: Umm, do- do you regret your first year do do you feel like your learned something from it?

AM: No, I don’t regret my first year because I didn’t technically waste my time I got to finish my general classes. So like after cosmetology if I still wanna, like do something else, get my AA degree, because I have my general classes. So yeah, I feel, fine.

EF: Umm, from, like, from the first day of college to like now, is there a day where you’ve ever like messed up in class or like a little embarrassing story you have?

AM: Yeah, like I’ve, I failed a test before, you know, and I always feel BAD so that’s how you know you gotta study more, you can’t be slacking off. 

EF: Mm, uh, since like, the way beginning, so, you wanted to be a nurse, umm, from the very first year that you went to college, umm, what was your first day like or like…

AM: Very nerve wracking I didn’t know what was- I- I didn’t know what was expected. I was honestly expecting a nice teacher but instead my teacher was the worst. 

EF: What was your umm, first perspective from the- the teacher from the first year and the students who are in your classes?

AM: Very, like, antisocial and, and just boring, and in cosmetology it’s nothing like that, it’s the opposite.

EF: You do like Trade Tech, or-

AM: I do like Trade Tech. 

EF: Or umm, did you wanna go to like-

AM: I mean if I had an opportunity to go to a better beauty school, yeah. But this is the nearest beauty school to me and I don’t mind, as long as I get my education done, and my license.

EF: Mm, do you like going to this college or like, umm, if you didn’t go to this one then what would your second choice be to go to.

AM: I wouldn’t honestly know. 

EF: Like,

AM: I don’t know, like, I don’t know any other beauty schools. 

EF: Like would you have gone to, umm, Santa Monica, or like, another community college.

AM: I was gonna go to Santa Monica but it’s too far.

EF: Mhm, okay, umm,  yeah.

AM: Trade Tech is just simpler.

EF: And then, how did you know that you wanted to change your first career like how did you feel, umm, 

AM: It feels really different, I feel like I didn’t want to be there, and in cosmo, I felt like I wanted to be there even if I had to wake up super early and leave late, it feels like I’m actually valuing my time because I’m for sure know I’m gonna do cause I’m passionate about it.

EF: From your first year or like, since high school, umm, when did you want to become a. a nurse? Cause before you said that you wanted to become a nurse, and now that/ you changed to being a cosmetologist and wanting to own a salon. Like when did you, start thinking of, umm, becoming a nurse, and making you change that mind? So, from, high school, when did you feel like you wanted to be a nurse?

AM: Mm, I was always into science, and I always wanted to find a way to help people and, I wanted to find a useful time for my time, and good money for salary, I did my research. I like math, and, stuff like that, so, a lot of math goes into, into science and bio and, and all these [inaudible] so,

EF: Okay, I know you wanted to change to cosmetology but umm, when did you start to be satisfied into like doing nails and doing makeup and like, dying your hair?

AM: Mm, I started doing that with myself with my own self image, I didn’t, I didn’t like the way I looked bare faced so I wanted to change that so I started with mascara, eyes, my eyebrows, little stuff and then I started dying my hair, bleaching it, cutting it even in myself sometimes, you know when I was in my seniors, I would do it myself I would cut my own hair like those [inaudible] girls with the shaver, like, I had my little ideas you know, and then now I get to like do it professionally and for people in real life and get actual money for it.

EF: Umm, how do you think mom and dad feel about it, or like, Nohemi, Nohemi probably likes it though.

AM: I, I feel like my parents, umm, I think they’ll support me, they deny it sometimes, they’re kind of iffy about it, but they’ll support me cause they love me you know, and Nohemi she’s like “go girl, you do it” so, yeah, so, that’s all I need.

EF: And then, umm, your friends in cosmetology, umm, like how mush do you hang out with them, or, do they like they like the kind of style that you do, do they support you? 

AM: Yeah, obviously , they do because of, because I’m not gonna hang out with people that don’t like me, you know, I’m only gonna, yeah ever since my first appearance, you know, you get what you see. 

EF: Okay, so umm, like for parents, do you think, cause you know how um mom probably mostly gets upset, saying like, ” Oh you’re like, you don’t look good and stuff like,” do you think that she thinks that you’re a bad influence or like a good influence. 

AM: I think she, I think she thinks I’m a little bit of both, because I’m nit just doing cosmo, I also have a job, you know, I try to have- I try to be a good image even if I’m not the perfect daughter to her or whatever.

EF: Hmm, and then, with the things that you’ve done in your life, do YOU think you’re umm a good influence or like a bad influence to us or like things that you know you’ve done bad?

AM: Honestly, I think I’m a bad influence in just in the part where I- I feel like I don’t have that much self confidence. I SHOULD have self confidence. Everyone should have some self confidence, you know, so you can go out and do whatever you wanna do. But ,that’s- that’s where I feel like I lack. If I had more self confidence, you guys would be more out there, you know. So that’s the influence I feel like it is. 

EF: Oh I forgot the question I was gonna ask you right now. Umm, like. so you know how you say, um that you, like, you should have some self confidence even though you know mom and dad are like that, umm, do you, do you think that going to um parties and stuff like, I know that you go to parties a lot and you’re like coming really late, umm, do you do that to like try to help you, to help you make you um feel better so you can hang out with friends and so that you know that, um, you don’t-

AM: Being with them does make me happy, and I will do anything that will make me happy. I love hanging out with my friends, being out late, I love the night, in general I hate the day. The day is work days, I love the night, it’s so mysterious so I love it so yeah, I like going out there’s nothing wrong with that as long as you’re being safe.

EF: Uh, what do you plan to do when you’re um, out of college like do you plan to like live in like a little apartment with your girlfriend and-

AM: I do actually I plan to, um, not, not with, a person, like that, but with colleagues, or, just roommates, Imma have room mates.

EF: Oh yeah.

AM: I’m not gonna live in no [inaudible] nobody. 

EF: And what about Bailey?

AM: And my dog, yeah, of course I’m gonna take my dog with me 

 EF: Would you visit here a lot, or would you like mostly focus here and-

AM: Yes, of course I would visit here a lot, come and eat your food.

EF: Hm, do you, consider yourself as, kind of like the housewife int his house, cause like, once you’re done with classes, you come straight home and you’re-

AM: Yes, I do consider myself that actually, very much. 

EF: When you think about dad, cause you always clean, but he always just comes home from work-

AM: I think that dad is very lazy, he means well though, he just has his own state of mind, but I respect him so whatever.

EF: Oh, yeah. Um, between mom and dad, like, who would you prefer the most, as like, the better parent?

AM: Honestly, I don’t know about that, honestly, but, maybe my dad, just because…

EF: He tries to see um good things in us 

AM: He likes to talk. My mom is a little different, my dad is very calm, my mom isn’t 

EF: And then, sorry, um, what do you think about Bailey, like, if  she had babies then would you want her to have babies? Or like, what did you think about when she did?

AM: Mmm, I would want her to have more babies, but, for right now, no, we can’t.

EF: And then, okay, I’m gonna change the topic um, what do you think about, when you’re like doing things that you know you shouldn’t be doing, like do you think about us or do you think about mom, like, “this is just good for me so kinda like relieve my stress” or what do you think if you ever did something bad.

AM: Mmm, I mean, I don’t- I don’t try to think about it a lot, like, like what do you mean like, if I know Imma do b something, bad, Imma try to be slick about it, like, you know.

EF: [chuckles] okay.

AM: If I know it’s bad I’m not gonna do it, I’m not dumb.

EF: Mm, how do you think mom and dad think about you um, with Diana or like with your drinking or your um, getting high and [inaudible] 

AM: She doesn’t like it, simple. I’m not gonna go into detail with that.

EF: Okay, umm, uhh, I don’t know what else to ask you. Do you think um you like the way that Nohemi is acting. Do you think that she gets it from you or do you think she get it from other people. 

AM: I think she’s getting it right now because of her boyfriend.

EF: Do you like her boyfriend, or like how he is?

AM: I don’t mind him, he’s very controlling, but the thing about Nohemi is that she lets herself, so, I don’t really blame him, I blame my sister honestly. 

EF: So what do you think um, is gonna happen to me when I’m older like, from the influence that you and Nohemi have done or like from mom and dad too? What type of person do you think I’m gonna be from what I’be been experiencing um, from since I was born to like now?

AM: Huh?

EF: What do you think I’m gonna be like in the future?

AM: Um, a teacher…

EF: Yeah, I do. 

AM: Cause you say you wanna be that so, you yeah. Keep doing whatever you wanna do.

EF: [burp] Do you, support Nohemi with the things that she does, or do you sometimes like-

AM: Not always, no.

EF: Like, what’s the- what’s the biggest thing that offends you that she does 

AM: Nothing, I don’t get offended by her, just maybe the  way she speaks and that she doesn’t- she’s not very clean. That really bothers me I want her to be more clean.

AM: How do you feel when Nohemi’s boyfriend is like here and, how he acts in the house? Like, do you approve it o do you think he should be a bit more respectful? Or, um, since he’s come of- since he’s um, come a lot to our house um do you think it’s normal or do you think he should still be acting the way he is?

AM: I think he comes over way too much. He needs to give her a break. 

EF: Mm, okay that’s the end of our interview, okay, what are- what do you feel like you have any regrets in life? Last question. 

AM: Umm, nah. 

EF: Okay.