Interview with Marlene Laynez Loarca (2024-10-20)

Gabriella Wise interviews Marlene Laynez Loarca about her background and experiences. Marlene, a former student at VCU, shares that her parents are from Guatemala and immigrated to the U.S. in the late 90s and early 2000s. She discusses the differences in her and her brothers' upbringing, noting her parents' more lenient approach in the U.S. Marlene also talks about her brothers' families, including their own migration and reunification stories. She emphasizes the importance of education and community, influenced by her parents' immigrant experiences. Marlene also reflects on the impact of COVID-19 on her family and her views on immigration, criticizing the reduction of immigrants to statistics by politicians.