Biographic Information: English, Male, 24yrs
Themes: Biographical information (where participant is from), Growing up in Las Cruces, Participant’s family (traditions), Participant’s education (computer science), Participant’s occupation, Participant’s interests (music, sports, video games, traveling/vacations, food, etc.), Participants future and aspirations
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Transcript:
[00:00]
Interviewer: Alright, so, um, where did you grow up?
Participant: I grew up here in Las Cruces. I was born and raised here. I’ve always lived here, so, yeah, this is the only place I’ve known.
I: Do you like it here?
P: Yeah, I think so. I think it says something that I’ve been here my whole life, so I’m probably planning to stay here.
I: Um, what high school did you go to?
P: Mayfield.
I: Mayfield.
P: Yeah, it’s just down the street, so. All my brothers went there, and my dad went there, so.
I: Nice. So, tell me about your family, your brothers?
P: Two older brothers. One is five years older than me, so, twenty-eight. The other one’s three years twenty-six. They both live in Phoenix now. They’re from here, well we’re all from here, so. My [01:00] oldest brother graduated and moved to Phoenix, got job there. And so did my other brother, after a year, so. They both live in Phoenix now, and yeah.
I: Nice, what about your parents?
P: My mom is from Deming, actually, so. She moved here during college, she went to college here. And my dad is from here too, so he’s always lived here.
I: Nice, did you go to NMSU?
P: Yep, yeah.
I: What did you study?
P: Computer science.
I: Sweet. My sister’s studying computer science right now. Um, and you’ve graduated?
P: Mm hmm. Uh, 2020, May 2022. So, it’s been over a year now. Yeah.
I: Nice. So, um, you’re working now?
P: Yes.
I: Nice. Tell me about that.
P: So, um, I graduated. Went a few months without a job. Started working in IT. IT work, computers and stuff at [02:00] Virgin Galactic. The Space Tourism Company. And then, actually just last week, I started at White Sands. So, a lot closer to what my degree is and probably a more long term plan. So.
I: Nice, so tell me a little bit more about, about that, about White Sands. Is it a very big change?
P: Yeah, it’s, I’m a, my title is Operational Research Analyst. So, I’m part of what they call TRAC. It’s the Research and Analysis Center, so they do, it’s with the Army Department of Defense. They do, like, studies and research for combat and other things for soldiers and all that. So, that’s what I just started doing. I don’t know much yet, because I just started, but yeah.
I: Interesting. Do you like it?
P: Yeah, so far. Because, at my last job is, wasn’t as much [03:00] of what my degree was. So this new job is, and it feels, I don’t know, a lot more interesting, a lot more challenging too.
I: Alright, um, so if you weren’t working um in the field that you’re working now, what would be your dream job?
P: Dream job, it’s a tough one. I don’t know, I’ve like, in my later years of college, I wanted to be a software developer, software engineer, same thing. Just work on a team, build a large-scale product and something like that. I think that would be closer to my dream job, but.
I: Okay, um, so outside of work, what do you do? Music? Sports?
P: Yeah, both actually.
I: Alright, tell me about it.
P: I don’t know if those are guesses or- Um, so I was in band in high school, and I was in tennis, so I [04:00] still kind of do music and tennis and I play, or, I don’t play as much anymore, but I play the saxophone, and recently I started learning guitar, so that kind of fills that musical side of me. Um, started playing tennis a lot more now, so I still play tennis a lot. And, golf. I picked up golf, I want to say, two years ago now. And I’m really bad at it, but it’s fun. It’s fun to get better. I think that’s the majority of, well, I’m also a gamer too, so. Just play online with friends and all that. Video games and stuff.
I: Sweet. So, going back to the music topic. What got you into guitar?
P: I don’t know, I just always, um, actually, I do know. Um, I’m a, I just, I’m just a big music [05:00] person. I listen to a lot of music. I just love music. And… Guitar. There’s this one singer. 90’s grunge band. His name is Chris Cornell. Um, he just has this acoustic solo album. Like, live, that he did. And I was just, like, obsessed with it. And I thought, I’m gonna buy a guitar and try to play these songs. So, and then just went from there.
I: Nice, and how has that been going so far?
P: I’m addicted to it. Yeah, I love, I’ve been loving playing it, I don’t know. It’s just like, I guess I was missing that from when I did band in high school with the saxophone. Yeah, it’s just, I play pretty much every day, I think.
I: Nice. And do you take classes or do you teach yourself?
P: Yeah, just um, just myself. Just stuff online, whatever I can do.
I: Nice. And what about the [06:00] saxophone? Do you still play?
P: I’d say like, every six months or something like that. Not nearly as much, but every once in a while, I’ll get an itch to pick it up and play something.
I: What kind of saxophone?
P: Alto, so it’s like smaller mid-range type of saxophone. I don’t know how familiar you are with
I: I actually play the alto as well.
P: Oh, okay. Yeah.
I: Nice. So, um, let’s see, sports. What got you into tennis?
P: Tennis. I actually started in baseball, because my dad is just a big baseball guy. He put all of us in baseball from like since we can hold a bat basically, and I just had a really mean coach in fifth grade that I did not like and he he was like really tough on us for no reason. We’re just a bunch of ten year olds just trying to have fun and he’s really aggressive and I just quit baseball and [07:00] my mom played a little bit of tennis in high school. So she’s like, you should try tennis, and I picked it up and I just loved it. So went from there.
I: Do you compete?
P: Um, not anymore, just in high school. I kind of stopped playing in college and now I’m starting to get back into it, so I’m hoping to compete now, now that I’m playing a lot more.
I: When you did compete, do you have any memorable stories from the tournament or any specific match?
P: I have one good and one bad.
I: Tell them both.
P: One good, um, it was some tournament, high school tournament, and I was playing like the number one player from Centennial, and that match I had like new strings, new racket, and like halfway through the match, I broke strings, so I had to get my [08:00] old backup, it was like a five racket with terrible strings on it, and I still ended up winning, and it was just like a big accomplishment for me. Something I remember. But on the bad end, uh, my senior year, my very last match, I was like, top of the rank. I was, everyone thought I was gonna end up winning the district tournament and then I lost in the first round to some kid from Carlsbad that was unranked, and it was just like, my brother came out, all my family came out, and I was like, oh, this is how I’m gonna end the year. But, yeah.
I: Alright. Traveling. Do you like traveling?
P: Um, any type of traveling?
I: Any [09:00] type of traveling?
P: Like flying, driving, anything. Um, yes and no. I travel a lot to Phoenix because, like I said before, my brothers live there. My oldest brother has two daughters now. Three and one, I wanna say I think I’m about to turn two. Four and two. Somewhere around there. So, yeah, me and my mom and my dad will go up there pretty often, I’d say. And that’s, that’s not a bad travel, but as far as other travel, the only real traveling I’ve done was one trip I went to Spain. And I went through, like, five different airports and it was the worst experience ever. I mean, getting, going there was bad, but being there was amazing. But, um yeah, I don’t, I don’t think I travel much besides just a quick drive to Phoenix. Six [10:00] hours, I think it is so.
I: So tell me more about Spain. Why was it so bad, the airports?
P: The airport? Uh, there’s a lot there. Um, yeah, we traveled from Phoenix. It was just me and my brother, my, the middle brother, not the oldest brother, because he had just had a baby, but we went from Phoenix to straight to London, I think. So that’s like twelve, fourteen hours. And I, I think I had been on a plane once and we’re going to this huge airport and I’ve never been outside of the country. I don’t, like I said, I don’t travel a lot, but. Yeah, there’s that trip. And we went from London to… I don’t even remember where. Another place in Spain. Like Madrid. We had to stay the night in the airport. And… we took this tiny little plane that felt like it was gonna [11:00] fall out of the sky to where we were going in Spain. And then I remember, um, just being, like, dazed out of it because I was just so tired. The time change. Traveling. Everyone’s speaking different languages. I barely understand. And the lady was checking my bag and she just started speaking to me in Spanish. And I barely know Spanish and I’m like half awake and just in and out of it. And, uh, my brother like turned around and he was starting to help me because he knew more Spanish than me. I was just like not understanding what was happening. I thought she was about to call security on me. I think she was just saying I had to check my bag in or something. The trip was fun, getting theres, getting there and back was not as fun, it’s just airport stuff.
I: Understandable. How long were you there?
P: Um, a week, I think it was. Yeah, [12:00] I’m gonna say a week. A week, we went for a music festival. It was three days long, I think. Yeah, about a week, I’d say.
I: And how was the festival?
P: It was cool, um, we saw, it was weird, I don’t know, my brother just texted me one day, let’s go to this festival. I was like, that’s in Spain, and he said, so? And I was like, okay, I guess I have no argument there. So we went, ‘cause it was one of, both of our favorite bands, Muse, I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of them. It was like a rock alternative festival, so. Yeah, it was a lot of walking. It was all day, three days. Walked from our hotel, walked around, and it’s a festival. So, one band on this stage, one band on that stage. You know, back and forth. Yeah. [13:00]
I: Alright. Alright, is there anywhere you would like to travel? Any like, dream destination?
P: I have something kind of nerdy, but I’ll say, um, I always wanted to go to New Zealand because I’m a Lord of the Rings fan, so I know that’s where they filmed it and I could like walk the path that they walk, so I don’t know, that’s all. And it’s just like a nice place too, like for photos, very green, very open, but yeah, I think that’s on my bucket list, I guess.
I: Sweet! I like that. (laughs) Okay. Um. Any place you wouldn’t want to go? Like, they’ll give you a million dollars to go and you’ll still say no.
P: Um I don’t [14:00] know. I want to say no, but I feel like there’s some place that… I don’t know. I’d just say no because I’m… why not? I’d go somewhere new. I don’t know.
I: For me, I think it’d be anywhere cold. I’m not good in cold weather.
P: Especially when you grow up here.
I: Yes. I do love the sun.Um, alright. Holidays. How do you celebrate the holidays?
P: I’d say family, mostly. Just, since I’m from here, still living here, most of my family’s here. Aunts, uncles, cousins. I have a lot of cousins. Dad or grandparents, they’ll be like, did you know this person, do you know this person? Some random name I’ve never even heard of. Like, that’s your cousin. so, okay. I’ll never meet them. They’re probably like fourth cousin or something. [15:00] I don’t know. But, yeah, just usually with family for, I don’t know, holidays and stuff.
I: Any specific traditions?
P: Hmm. I don’t think anything specific I can think of right now. Just do the basics. Holiday traditions. I just feel like, um… uh, tamales on Christmas, white elephant, stuff like that. Yeah, I don’t think there’s anything too specific.
I: Nice. Alright, let’s talk about food since you mentioned tamales. Um, do you have a favorite food?
P: Mmm, I guess not if I can’t think of anything. [(laughs)] No, I just love a, I just love chili, I guess. So, I was gonna say you got a green [16:00] chili. Burger. I could eat that, like, every day.
I: From anywhere specific? Favorite restaurant?
P: I’ve been liking Blakes’s Lot a Burger. Green chili burger. Just cause the chili’s really good in it. Spicy. If it’s spicy, then I’ll, I’ll probably love it.
I: Alright, any food you hate, they’ll give you a million dollars to eat it, but you won’t do it.
P: Um, I know there’s a food I hate, (laughs) I just can’t think of it. I don’t want to say hate, but…
I: Dislike.
P: But I can’t eat tamales anymore. [Oh no.] Yeah, I think I ate like, either a bad one or too many one Christmas, and I threw up, and ever since then I just like, eat it, and just, you know. [17:00] I can’t do it anymore. Oh, I remembered something, we were talking about traditions, um, and tamales. Um, my grandpa always did these, they’re called tamale pies. They’re just like tamales in pie form and tin foil. And I guess that’s become like a big tradition, like, for my family. We make them all the time. We call them teeny pies because he was our grandpa Teeny, Valentine. So, yeah.
I: Oh, that’s very nice. So do you know how to cook?
P: No. (laughs) I wish I did. I don’t. I’m like the one, well, me and my mom are the ones that don’t know how to cook very well. But I can make eggs, ramen noodles, I don’t know. I’m not much of a cook.
I: Me either. (laughs) [18:00] Alright, um, I had a good one. Pets, do you have any pets?
P: Yes, two dogs. I always had dogs, rather than cats. Ruby and Radar. Ruby’s like a female dog a. She’s like a mix, like a terrier mix. We’re not really sure. She showed up in our backyard one day. We just kept her, so. Radar, one of my mom’s friends gave him to us. They called him Radar because he had giant ears. And he’s a little puppy, his like, ears were huge. He hadn’t grown into them, I guess. He’s a corgi, corgi mix. Not like purebred, but, Corgi mix with something else. I wanted to say terrier, or something like that. But, yeah. [19:00]
I: So, not a cat person. Any, any specific reason why?
P: Um, my family just never had cats, I guess, growing up. We had one that I barely remember, I guess, when I was really young. But, we just always had dogs, and funny enough, two dogs. Small dogs. So, yeah. Just never had cats. Did have fish, though. Fish growing up, but that was a long time ago now.
I: Do you see yourself adopting any more pets in the future?
P: Mmmm I mean, I do like dogs, but maybe, just pretty happy with my two dogs now, my two dogs, they’re family dogs.
I: Alright, let’s go back to the video games, tell me about that.
P: Yeah, just, [20:00] always played video games growing up, like me and my brothers, and we’re all super competitive, so. Probably a lot of broken controllers. Punches thrown. But, yeah, it’s always just been a hobby. Just something I do. Friends or family. I play almost every day, I want to say. Some of my friends do, so. It’s a nice thing to do, just to hang out with them. Virtually. And get angry. Hopefully not break anything.
I: Have you ever broken anything?
P: Gaming?
I: Yeah.
P: Um, not something, not anything specifically that I remember, but I’m sure I’ve broken a controller or something. [(laughs)] Yeah, I get competitive between me and my brothers, for whatever reason. [21:00]
I: That’s just how it is with siblings. Yeah, I think so. I have several, so I understand. Alright. Um, tell me about a gift that you’ve received.
P: A gift that I’ve received? Um, I’m guessing it’s more of an open ended question, not anything specifically physical.
I: Right, so, um, just something memorable. Like maybe for a birthday, for Christmas, something that you really remember was significant.
P: I don’t know about gifts guess now I feel selfish.
I: No, no, not at all. What about advice? Have you ever received any influential advice?
P: Um, let’s see, just, my mom is [22:00] always giving me advice. Especially at like this point in my life. It’s like, transitioning into college, time job. I feel like, just helping me become an adult kind of thing. I don’t know, just little things like, how I should spend my money and, I don’t know, just asking questions like, is this what you want? Is this, what you’re gonna do? Like, especially since I’m trying to find like, a steady job and, where I wanna work and all that, career and that, thing.
I: What about pet peeves? Do you have any pet peeves?
P: Um, one that I can think of off the top of my head is just, chewing loudly or with your mouth open. Just that crunching sound, just kind of annoys me. I [23:00] know, what else, I know there’s more, I can’t think of any right now, guess not too many.
I: Alright, I feel like we went through all my questions, which is good. Um, let me see what else I can think of.
P: I know, I’m probably not much of a talker.
I: No, no, you’re doing great. Um, let’s see. Have [24:00] you been learning anything new lately? But I think you said guitar. Other than guitar, have you been learning anything else?
P: Um, I guess, I started a new job, so there’s a big learning process there. I think that’s just how it goes with most jobs. Especially when this one’s gonna be full time. It’s pretty serious, I guess. I don’t know. But, yeah. There’s been a lot of learning there in the last, my last, my first week was just a bunch of new information all the time, so. Yeah.
I: Alright, this one’s kind of deep. Where do you see yourself this time next year?
P: Oh, that’s not too deep. (laughs) I mean, [25:00] um, uh, kind of, I’d say, similar to the place I am now, I’m hoping, um, I’m gonna be at the same job, living, I’m still living at home right now, and about to transition into like living on my own, so probably my own apartment, hopefully still playing tennis, getting better at guitar, um, and yeah, just. See where I am with my job. I guess that’s like the main focus right now.
I: Are you going to take the dogs with you when you leave?
P: I wish. You know, I tell my mom that all the time. I’ll her, or I’ll tell the dogs, you want to go with me? Come live with me? And she’s like, no, they’re not going with you. Like, you know I’m their favorite. (laughs) [(laughs)] Just rolls your eyes. [26:00]
I: Let’s talk about high school. You said you went to Mayfield. Do you remember what your first day of high school was like?
P: First day?
I: Mm hmm.
P: Um, I was probably just really nervous. Um, I know I was doing band. I still had some friends from middle school. A lot of my band friends from middle school, so. I was nervous first day. Surprisingly, I don’t think I got lost. I went to the wrong room. Maybe I did, I know most freshmen do. But, yeah, it wasn’t too bad. I had my friends. Band, comfort spot, so. Yeah. Not bad. Do you still have some of those friendships? I do, yeah. I still have, let’s [27:00] see. A couple that I went to middle school with. Still close friends. Joseph, Conrad. Um, and then some from high school. They’re still close friends, so. Yeah. Keep in touch. We all live here still, which is nice.
I: Good, that’s awesome. Alright, um. Let’s see what time we’re at. Learning how to drive? How was that?
P: I do remember that pretty specifically. So, I started on a manual, standard.
I: Uh, huh.
P: Just a small little truck Chevy S10. Just a single cabin. Um, yeah, stalled [28:00] out. A hundred times, probably. It was my mom’s boyfriend who taught me. And my mom had bought me that truck. I had driven her car a little bit, which was not standard. But that truck was going to be mine, so I had to learn how to drive it. And, yeah, just a lot of stalling out. I avoided any big hills. Cause I knew I’d start rolling back, probably stall out, I didn’t want to hit anyone behind me. But, yeah, and then I had that truck forever. Well, I guess not forever, but I just recently, I had it up, let’s see, I got it senior year of high school. And then after I graduated, a bit after I graduated, I bought a new car, so. Bust still trying to buy that car, that truck off from my mom. It’s because it’s my first car. It’s like [29:00] a cheap truck with a bunch of miles on it.
I: Do you prefer driving stick shift?
P: I think overall, no, but it’s fun sometimes. It’s fun until you stall out.
I: My sister always says that it gets boring driving automatic once you’ve learned how to drive stick shift.
P: It does, but then my cars, my new cars, like… like, night and day, I have all the features in it and everything, it’s just like, the car drives itself. So, it’s like, I just sit back, relax, we’re in my truck, I’m like, trying not to stall out, and yeah. It’s just a lot more work, and it’s like, I’m just trying to get to point A to point B. I don’t need to do all the extra stuff.
I: Would you say you’re a good driver or a bad driver?
P: I think a good driver. I’d hope so. But I don’t really, [30:00] probably because I don’t speed a bunch, or, I don’t know, I guess, uh, not distracted a bunch. Pretty good at managing my time, I think, and, which helps, like, not being in a rush anymore, so.
I: So, you’ve never gotten a ticket, or pulled over?
P: I got pulled over once, right out here, in NMSU and it was funny, because I’d never been pulled over before. I was like, why is he pulling me over, it’s a long week, it was like exam week, and I had just taken the exam, it was like 8 o’clock, and I was just trying to go home and go to bed, he pulled me over, my taillight was out, he thought I was high or something, he says like, why are your eyes glossed over, and I was like, I just took this 4 hour exam or something, I’m just trying to get home, I’ve never been pulled over before, so, that was the only time, it was just my taillight.
I: Did you get a ticket or he [31:00] just let you go?
P: No, he just let me go. He’s like, you seem like a good kid.
I: Alright. I guess we haven’t even talked about college. How was college for you?
P: It was fun, stressful. That’s the majority of it. I graduated high school in 2018. Started college the next semester, like a lot of people do. Um, I never, I just started computer science. I didn’t even know, I just liked computers, I guess. I didn’t even know what it was at the time. I just did it. I ended up liking it, I guess. I’m a math person, I know a lot of math. And, uh, I just stuck with it. I graduated in May twenty-two. Met a lot of new people. Made friends. I lived in the dorms for my [32:00] first year. Just to move out. Just because I had my school paid for. So, um, uh, met a random person. Got a random roommate. We ended up becoming friends. Still try to keep in touch. So that was pretty cool. But yeah, this is school I think it stressed me out a little bit, but I made it through, so.
I: Good. Um, did you have a, a favorite class?
P: Mmm, I always like my senior project class, you know, project at the end. Because it was like, it was with people I had worked with before, and they were friends, and I knew they were like really smart, they were good at working, and got along really well. It was just kind of our own project. We actually designed the project, put it all together, and just like, seeing it all come together was [33:00] pretty cool. After all these four years, like, seeing it all, all that knowledge actually come through, so. Yeah, that was probably my favorite class. My last class, too. That was nice.
I: Yeah, very rewarding.
P: Yeah, ended on a good note.
I: Tell me a little bit more about the project. What was it like?
P: It was um, qualitative analysis in VR. So, I don’t know if you’re familiar with qualitative analysis. Maybe because, I know it’s like, it’s kind of like taking an interview script and parsing it out. Um, like finding specific phrases, you know. It’s qualitative, so it’s like subject to… your opinion and all that, but yeah, it’s like taking a whole script parsing it out and sorting the data based on what you think like parsing it out by [34:00] Sentences, I guess just organizing it just to help you understand Interview I guess but we did all that in VR. So, it was like you put in a document it parses it out into notecards and then you can move the notecards around like anywhere in 3D space. And then there’s, you could draw on it. What else could you do? Make it bigger, smaller, write, type. Yeah, that was pretty much the project.
I: That sounds awesome. Um, what about a least favorite class? Did you have a class that disliked?
P: I know there was one. I’m trying to remember now. What class was it, I think my English class, yeah, my intro freshman English, like 111 I think it [35:00] is, is done not by a professor, but like a grad student I think they do. I just remember not liking that class at all. I just felt like the structure was weird, and I don’t like doing English stuff like that. Writing. I don’t know. Re-, well, I do like reading, but writing, and just all kinds of stuff like that. I don’t know, I just didn’t like, I’ve just never been an English person. I’ve always been more of a math person, I’d say. So, I didn’t like that class.
I: Yeah, that’s valid, I mean. (laughs) Alright, I think that’s all the questions I have for you.
P: Thank you.
I: Okay, cool. Thanks.
[35:46]
New Mexico Border Spanish Corpus 