Interview, Mary Mendez Rizzo

November 7, 2013
Audio

Mary Mendez Rizzo was born in the United States to Puerto Rican parents. Relocating to New York City in search of job opportunites in the 1950s, her parents ultimately relocated to Rochester, New York, by 1960. They raised Rizzo and her five siblings in a predominantly Latino neighborhood in Rochester. Rizzo earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Buffalo and a master’s degree in Counselor Education from the College at Brockport. She took a position at Monroe Community College in 2013.

Rizzo’s interview details how both Latino and American cultures shaped her childhood. She explains that her parents felt it was important for their children to immerse themselves in American culture and the English language while maintaining their Puerto Rican culture and heritage and notes that she seeks to instill this same balance in her own children. Rizzo also discusses her involvement with the Rochester Latino Theatre Company and speaks of the utility of social media in planning and organizing Latino events.

Content Tags

Decades

  • 1950s
  • 1960s
  • 1970s
  • 1980s
  • 1990s
  • 2000s