Interview Links
Abstract
Interview Session (Audio)
Growing up in Venezuela and immigrating to the U.S. in 1995
Photos
Caption:
Yeni Carolina Maza (Lera) is shown as a four-year-old in her home area of Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela, in 1981.
Where:
Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela
When:
1981
Ownership:
Narrator’s phot
Caption:
Yeni, five years old, is receiving a crown and banner upon being declared the queen of her kindergarten class in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela in 1982.
Where:
Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela
When:
1982
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption:
Diana Ninoska Gonzalez de Maza, Yeni’s mother, is pictured in the doorway of her home in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela in 1994. (Narrator’s photo)
Where:
Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela
When:
1994
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption:
Yeni studied at the University of Santiago Marino, majoring in civil engineering. This is her second semester ID card, issued in 1995. She commuted from her parent’s home. About a third of her class were women.
Where:
Santiago Marino
When:
1995
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Yeni’s family has gathered together to say “goodbye” at the airport in Venezuela in 1995 as Jose and Yeni left to come to the United States. From left to right: Diana (mother), Yeni, Jose (father), a sister, aunt, and several cousins.
Where:
Unknown
When:
1995
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Yeni and Jose are attending a party in her home town of Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela in 1995 before leaving for the United States.
Where:
Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela
When:
1995
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption:
Jose and Yeni on their wedding day in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, June, 1996.
Where:
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
When:
1996
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption:
Dianne Donelly and Yeni. Dianne was a very important person in Yeni’s life, teaching her English and helping her as she adjusted to life in the United States. About 1996.
Where:
Unknown
When:
1996
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption:
Yeni Carolina Lera’s Certificate of Naturalization that she received on May 29, 2008 in Miami Beach, Florida when she became a citizen of the United States. (Narrator’s photo)
Where:
Miami Beach, Florida
When:
2008
Ownership:
(Narrator’s photo
Caption:
Jose and Yeni on the day Yeni received her citizenship, May 2008. Miami, Florida. (Narrator’s photo)
Where:
Miami, Florida
When:
2008
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Where:
Miami Beach, Florida
When:
2008
Ownership:
(Narrator’s photo
Caption:
Yeni’s father, Jose Manuel Maza Carvajal, is about 60 years old in this picture. He’s pictured with his niece Dubraska in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela in 2014.
Where:
Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela
When:
2014
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption:
Jose and Yeni with their son Gabriel (Gabe) Alberto Lera at Faro Blanco Lighthouse in Marathon, Florida in 2016.
Where:
Marathon, Florida
When:
2016
Ownership:
(Narrator’s photo)
Caption:
Yeni celebrates with her twin cousins, Alejandro and Eduardo Acosta, on their 60th birthday in Marathon, Florida in March, 2017.
Where:
Marathon, Florida
When:
March, 2017
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Yeni poses for a casual photo in March, 2017 at Key Colony Beach, Florida where she was interviewed.
Where:
Key Colony Beach, Florida
When:
March, 2017
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption:
Jose and Yeni with their children, Gabriel, and Nicole during a visit to Orlando, Florida in 2007.
Where:
Orlando, Florida
When:
2007
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption:
Jose, Yeni, Gabe, and Nicole are shown in a family picture in 2017.
Where:
Unknown
When:
2017
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo