The student interviewed their mother, Hilary Serna, to learn about their family history and her childhood. Some of the key details learned include: - The student's maternal grandparents came from El Paso, Texas and Los Angeles. - Hilary grew up in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles in the 1960s with 2 brothers, 1 sister, and faced financial challenges but was surrounded by a supportive community. - She enjoyed school and remembers trends like bell bottoms and board games. The family is Catholic and continues traditions like Christmas Eve celebrations. - Stories were shared about Hilary's father swimming across the Rio Grande as a teenager to immigrate to the US. Physical traits like short height run in the

1. Part 2 of Family
History Project:
Interview

2. Before interview:
 Before this interview I didn’t really know
too much about my family and their
history. Only a few stories here and there
from my parents and grandparents. Also I
learned that my grandpa on my moms
side lived in Elpaso, Texas and moved to
Los Angeles as a child with his family to
live a better life. So only knowing such little
information I was excited to learn more
about my family and their history.

3. Preparing for interview:
 The person I decided to interview was my
mother. I decided to interview her
because she has the best memory of her
childhood and growing up. My
grandparents have a hard time
remembering so my mom was the best
source to learn about my family and their
history.

4. Interview:
 Name and relation: Hilary Serna, mother
 Q1: When and where did your parents
come from?
 A1: My father was born in El Paso texas on
July 8, 1922 and my mother was born here
in Los Angeles on September 8, 1928.
 Q2: When and where were you born?
 A2: In Los Angeles near hollywood on
January 2, 1961.

5.  Q23: How many brothers and sisters did you
have?
 A3: I have 2 brothers, Micheal and Peter and
one sister, Rosemarie
 Q4: How was it growing up in the
neighborhood you lived in and were there
any challenges you faced?
 A4: The neighborhood I grew up in which was
in L.A, Boyle Heights. Everyone new each
other and all our neighbors watched over us
as kids. The only challenges you can say I
faced was money, but it didn’t really phase
me and my family because everyone around
us faced the same thing.

6.  Q5: Where there any chores you had to
do growing up?
 A5: Wash dishes, help my mom make
dinner for the family, hang the clothes on
the clothes line and take them down
once they were dry, to always set the
table for dinner,
 Q6: How was school for you as a child?
 A6: I loved school, back then school was
much easier even though we didn’t have
all the technology. A lot of the teachings
were more participation and more
involved in class and my classmates.

7.  Q7: Were there any fads or trends in your
youth days?
 A7: Oh yeah we used to have the bell
bottoms, the thick wedged shoes, and
the shagged hair cuts. Also we used to
play a lot of board games like checkers
and Parcheesi, pick up sticks.

8.  Q8: Was there any family traditions you
learned from your parents and still
continue with you own family?
 A8:well we would always celebrate on
Christmas eve and have the family come
over and open gifts at midnight
 Q9: What religion did you grow up
practicing and do you still continue it
today?
 A9: Catholic and yes I do, my daughters
did their baptism, communion and
confirmation and we try to go to church
on Sundays as a family.

9.  Q10: Any family stories you heard growing
up?
 A10:Yes, my father would always tell me,
my brothers and sister how he swam
through the rio grande when he was
younger to get over here. He was only
seventeen years old when he did this.

10. Back then:
This is when my mom was around 7 years old,
she was playing with her neighbors.

11. Now:
From right to lleft it goes her brother Micheal, sister
Rose, her father Joe, mother Natalie, brother Peter
and herself at the end. This picture was taken
recently in 2012 on her parents 60th anniversary.

12.  Q11: Are there any physical traits that run
in the family?
 A11: Yes! My mother is very short and she
used to never be as short as she is now
and I am also starting to get shorter so
height is a physical trait the women in the
family have, not growing but shrinking.

13.  Q13: What type of work did your family
grow up doing?
 A13: My dad was a truck driver for a steel
company, and my mom was a nurse at
an elementary school.

14.  Q14:What kind of food did your family
make ?
 A14: My mom made home made flour
tortillas and we always had albondigas
soup and tacos with beans and rice,
typical mexican food in our house hold.

16.  Q15: Are there any family recipes you
learned from you parents?
 A15: My moms home made flower tortillas,
albondigas soup, chille rellenos, and her
spanish rice.

17. After the interview:
 After interviewing my mother I learned so
much more about my family and their
history from where my grandparents
came from to family traditions we still
carry and to learning more about my
mothers childhood.

18. Cont.
 I also learned to appreciate what I have
now in the decade and to also try to
keep my family traditions with my own
family when I finally have mine.
 I’m glad I was able to do this project and I
cant wait to get more in depth with my
family and their history

19. THE
END
By Danielle Serna
Geo 10
Professor Schmidt