Archives for Immigration

People & Stories Oral History Project: Isabel Villar

Isabel Villar, 1948-2023 Isabel Villar, the founding Executive Director of El Centro Hispano in White Plains, died July 12 from ovarian cancer. In 2015, she participated in our library’s People and Stories oral history project. The link to her story is below. Isabel Villar is the Executive Director of El Centro Hispano, an organization that supports the Hispanic Community in White Plains. She is also a longtime resident of White Plains, arriving from Cuba in the late-1960s. In this oral history, Villar describes the experience of being a Hispanic immigrant in White Plains. She tells stories about her first educational
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Categories: Library News, Local History, and Oral History.

Prepare for the Citizenship Interview

Saturday, March 12 at 12:00 p.m. Immigration officer Shyconia Burden-Noten of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services will demonstrate a US Citizenship mock interview to help applicants prepare for their own interview. All are invited to come and ask Ms. Burden questions related to the naturalization process, green cards, employment authorization, and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Attorneys and a paralegal will be available to provide consultations to individuals and answer questions. The Westchester Hispanic Coalition will be here to help translate this program.
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Categories: Events and Uncategorized.

People & Stories Oral History Project: Shirley Acevedo Buontempo

Shirley Acevedo Buontempo, Founder and Executive Director of Latino U College Access, is People & Stories' first multi-lingual oral history!  Below are interviews conducted by Ben Himmelfarb and Mariel Perez–one in English, one in Spanish. In both interviews, Buontempo discusses emigrating from Puerto Rico to the Bronx at age ten.  Education and service have always been important to Buontempo, and when she attended Pace University she was introduced to White Plains (through trips to the Galleria!).  She had a career in advertising focused on reaching Latino people, and developed an interest in connecting Latino youth with higher education through her
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Categories: Local History and Oral History.

What can I do with my degree from outside the US?

Have a degree and don't know how to seek employment in the U.S.? The WES Global Talent Bridge can help! They will discuss how you can utilize your foreign education and experience to pursue employment , professional licensing and higher education. They will provide tips to best reflect your qualifications and give information on how to prepare for your job search. This seminar is designed for people with foreign qualifications interested in seeking further employment and /or professional licensing. Tuesday, December 1, 2015 at 6:00 p.m.
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Categories: Events and Uncategorized.

People & Stories Oral History Project: Cecilia Bikkal

Cecilia Bikkal has called lots of places “home” around the world, but has been in White Plains since the 1980s. In this oral history, recorded in her office overlooking the corner of Hamilton and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Bikkal shares her personal story and her perspective on White Plains. Bikkal came to White Plains on the day the Galleria opened, and went to work for the County Clerk in the 1980s. She became a lawyer after intending to be an architect. Through her place on the Zoning Board of Appeals and work as a lawyer specializing in immigration,
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Categories: Local History and Oral History.