Interview, Paul Sepulveda

Paul Sepulveda was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 1946 and lived there until 1954 when his father remarried and moved to Brooklyn, NY. He lived in Brooklyn until he finished his high school education and then moved back to Puerto Rico for a few years. He returned to Brooklyn in 1965 and married his wife two years later. The family moved to Rochester, NY, in 1972 and has been here ever since. He opened his own business in Rochester and worked as a carpenter for 35 years before closing his business a few years before this interview was conducted.

In this interview, Sepulveda discusses his memories of his childhood in Brooklyn as one of only a few Puerto Ricans in the area, how he became a Jehovah’s Witness, and why he did not stay in Puerto Rico after high school. He explains why he feels it was important for his children to learn Spanish, his experiences with Rochester’s Latino community, and how he became a carpenter and started his own business. He also discusses his experiences with his large family in Puerto Rico and his trips back there.