Interviewer: How do you describe Los Angeles in one word or phrase?

Maggie: I really do believe that it’s still the melting pot. I think we do have a lot of different cultures, we have a lot of different religions, and we have a lot of different view points. I think we’re still the melting pot in the sense that the majority of the communities I know, they still tend to stick together depending on what their cultural or social background is. But there does come a point, and especially at the schools where they do come together and they do have to work with each other. The community that I primarily work for is a Latino community, but we do deal with, um, we do deal with students that are either, I’ve noticed, Vietnamese or Chinese, and I know we’ve had a few that have been Filipino. It just depends on what happens, you know, what type of families, how they... I’ve noticed they tend to follow each other in families, is what they tend to do. So it just depends on, it just depends really on the neighborhood. I mean, I could say that about Baldwin Park, which is where I work at. But if you were to come, let’s say over here to Whittier where I grew up, I remember growing up here and thinking that it was very multi-cultural. I remember moving here myself as a nine-year-old and going through culture... culture-shocks, essentially.

Interviewer: Okay.

Maggie: I used to live in Huntington Park, and the Compton area. And I remember it was definitely a lot more Latino. A lot more Latino – I was used to running around and playing with my neighbors and my friends, and being able to speak Spanish all day. And I remember coming over here, and I just remember thinking, this is so different. I remember coming to school and I remember meeting different people from Japan, China, um, a couple of friends that we had from India, a couple of friends that we had from, I want to say, Armenia. I mean there was just, for me it was a very big shock because all of a sudden I was having to get to know these people, and I almost felt to an extent, uncomfortable until you spent that time with those people, getting to know them better. I think that’s probably what LA is. People having to learn to deal with each other and how to relate to each other.

Interviewer: The importance of education.

Maggie: Just that I think for me, education really is the basis of everything. I think it’s the basis of all good, and I think the lack of it is definitely the basis of problems and what is bad in a society. I think the more focus and importance that people begin to give, especially in this country, where I think we really need it the most, I think as soon as people realize how valuable an education is, and they put more effort into it, I think that will be the moment when this country will begin to have a turnaround as far as, um, you know, crimes and discrimination and even the economy. All these different things, I really think that’s the base right there. I just think people are having a hard time seeing it. That’s what I think.