Interview, Elsa Santiago

Elsa Santiago (b.1950) was born in Barceloneta, Puerto Rico, and migrated to Rochester in 1955. With a push from her mother, she learned to read and write in both Spanish and English. She earned her high school diploma and married a Puerto Rican man, with whom she bore three sons. Santiago began working at Nazareth College in 2007.

In this interview, Santiago speaks extensively about the roles that the English and Spanish languages have played in her life. She also touches on the discrimination that she experienced as a young adult and maintains that discrimination is worse in the 21st century than it was decades ago. Santiago discusses the role of education in her life as well as that of her family. She briefly talks about her culture in relation to marriage expectations and holidays like Christmas. Santiago speaks candidly about being a Puerto Rican in the United States and admits that her ties to both the Puerto Rican community in Rochester and that of her homeland are not strong.