Interview, Stephanie Paredes

Stephanie Paredes was born in Washington Heights, New York, to parents from the Dominican Republic. She moved with her mom and younger brother to Rochester, New York, in 1992, when she was nine years old. At the time of this interview, she continues to live and raise her son in Rochester. She is a businesswoman and the Assistant Director of Multicultural Programming for the Division of Diversity and Inclusion at the Rochester Institute of Technology.

In this interview, Stephanie Paredes discusses the cultural shock of moving to Rochester, her professions, and her connection with Dominican food and sharing it with others. She explains why she visits the Dominican Republic and how she raises her son to understand Dominican culture and to be proud of his identity as an Afro-Latino child. She also discusses the need for greater inclusion of multiple identities in the Latino community, as well as the need for greater collaboration between the Black and Latino communities.