Interviewee: Daniel Chi
Interviewer: Kelsey Sullivan
Interview Summary
This interview was with Daniel Chi. Daniel is a Korean American who was born in New York City, and he grew up there until moving to New Jersey later in his childhood. In the interview, he discusses various aspects of his family’s history, as well as his identity as a Korean American. He talks about his upbringing in a Korean household with his parents and younger brother, and his impactful experiences that he had at college. Daniel also speaks about his parents’ migration histories and what being Korean American means to him. This interview covers topics such as the Korean diaspora in the U.S. and Brazil, Korean cultural traditions and food, and Korean American identity inside and outside the U.S. This interview was conducted over Zoom, due to the Daniel living in Austria at the time of the interview. This interview was conducted by Kelsey Sullivan, a senior Economics major at Colby College.
Biography
Daniel Chi was born in Flushing, New York in 2002. When he was around nine or ten years old, he and his family moved to Hackensack, New Jersey. Daniel graduated from Bowdoin in 2024 as a biochemistry and German double major. During his time at Bowdoin, he was actively involved in the Korean Student Association. Post-grad, Daniel has been working as an English Teaching Assistant in Austria through Fulbright Austria. Daniel’s mother was born in Korea before immigrating to New York, while his father was born in São Paulo, Brazil. Most of Daniel’s family on his father’s side moved from Korea to Brazil shortly after the Korean War. His father, along with his parents and brother, then immigrated first to Los Angeles, and eventually New York, where he met Daniel’s mother. Growing up, his parent’s cultural experiences as well as the communities surrounding him had a big influence on Daniel’s cultural identity, including his liking of various Korean and Brazilian dishes. At home, he grew up with strong Korean cultural influence from his parents, especially since Daniel and his younger brother were taught to speak Korean.