Violeta Panis oral history interview and transcript

This recording and transcript form part of a collection of oral history interviews conducted by the Chao Center for Asian Studies at Rice University. This collection includes audio recordings and transcripts of interviews with Asian Americans native to or living in Houston.Violeta Panis was born in Agoo, La Union, Philippines. The oldest of six siblings, she lived with her grandmother from age nine through high school. She completed her nursing training in the Philippines and worked for a short time at the Chinese General Hospital in Manila before immigrating to the US at age 24. She came to the US through an agency that placed Filipino nurses in US hospitals and was placed in Methodist Hospital. The rest of her siblings and her parents eventually moved to Canada. After working in several different units at Methodist for over 40 years, she retired. During those 40 years, she married her husband, Rolando Panis (also interviewed for this archive), and raised five children, including Christy Poisot (also interviewed for this archive). She now actively participates in church, gardens, andhelps take care of her grandchildren