Interview with Alessandra Rister Portinari Maranca : In Transit: An Oral History Project about Crossing Borders
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- Alessandra Rister Portinari Maranca explains in detail the difficulties that she experienced in obtaining the American visa to come to Stanford because the US Embassy and consulates were closed in Brazil due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She explains how her interview was cancelled multiple times by the embassy, and how she could not apply for her visa through Brazil, her home country, although she had already paid the visa fee. She describes how she decided to apply for the visa through a different country, and the harrowing experience of applying to and finally obtaining the American visa through Ecuador. Additionally, she speaks about life at Stanford University as an international student, and highlights the challenges she faced in adjusting to a new life in the US as a freshman in college. She also speaks about the difficulties she experienced during the Fall 2020 quarter when she was taking classes while in Brazil, including a five-hour time difference. In reflecting on the visa system, Alessandra uses the words “helplessness,” “restricted,” and “scary” as the words she associates with the visa.
Description
| Type of resource | sound recording-nonmusical, text, still image |
|---|---|
| Extent | 1 audio file; 1 text file; 1 photograph |
| Place | Stanford (Calif.) |
| Publisher | Stanford Historical Society |
| Date created | February 6, 2021 |
| Language | English |
| Digital origin | born digital |
Creators/Contributors
| Interviewee | Maranca, Alessandra Rister Portinari | |
|---|---|---|
| Creator | Maranca, Alessandra Rister Portinari | |
| Interviewer | Jayasinghe, D. Lakmali | |
| Publisher | Stanford Historical Society |
Subjects
| Subject | Students, Foreign > Brazil |
|---|---|
| Subject | Brazilian students |
| Subject | Visas > United States |
| Subject | Student passports |
| Genre | Interview |
Bibliographic information
| Conditions Governing Access | Due to the personal nature of the interviews, all content has been embargoed until at least September 2026, with some content embargoed for longer or indefinitely. All materials are restricted to users with a Stanford University ID. |
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| Transcript |
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| Finding Aid |
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| Location | https://purl.stanford.edu/np559fx3898 |
| Location | SC1581 |
| Repository | Stanford University. Libraries. Department of Special Collections and University Archives |
Access conditions
- Use and reproduction
- The materials are open for research use and may be used freely for non-commercial purposes with an attribution. For commercial permission requests, please contact the Stanford University Archives (universityarchives@stanford.edu).
- Copyright
- Copyright © The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. All rights reserved.
Collection
In Transit: An Oral History Project about Crossing Borders
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