Interview with Laura Silvera Jaramillo
Date8 March 2025
Mediumborn digital audio file
DimensionsDuration: 38 Minutes, 23 Seconds
ClassificationsInformation Artifacts
Credit LineCommunity History Project Collection
DescriptionAudio file of interview with Laura Silvera. She was interviewed by Karina Alvarado on March 8, 2025 in Greenwich, CT.
Laura Silvera was interviewed as part of the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History's Community History Project discussing moments of change in her life.
Laura Carolina Silvera Jaramillo is a 35-year-old architect. Laura was born in Colombia, but she immigrated to the United States with her mom when she was 5 years old. They were living in the United States with their family from her mother's side. Her mother died when she was 9 years old and her family took care of her after that.
Laura’s father, Heidel Enrique Silveria, worked as a civil engineer and lived in Colombia her entire life. Heidel’s occupation inspired Laura to work towards an architecture degree. As Laura pursued her studies, her relationship with Heidel grew closer since they were able to discuss building materials and other aspects of architecture.
Three months after Laura finished college, her father died of pancreatic cancer. The death of Heidel made her deal with not only his loss, but also the loss of her mother that she never truly processed.
Laura reflects on how her life experiences, including her parents' deaths, have shaped her perspective on self-reliance, success, and gratitude. Laura discusses her Colombian heritage and the complexities of navigating her identity between Colombian and American cultures. She reflects on reconnecting with her roots and the influence of her family's strong female figures on her identity and resilience.
Laura describes her role as an architect and project manager, expressing enjoyment in solving problems and overcoming challenges at work. She also discusses the dynamics of working in a male-dominated field and the strategies she employs to assert her competence and authority. Laura shares her personal definition of success, which revolves around pride in her work rather than conventional markers such as wealth or titles.
Laura Silvera was interviewed as part of the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History's Community History Project discussing moments of change in her life.
Laura Carolina Silvera Jaramillo is a 35-year-old architect. Laura was born in Colombia, but she immigrated to the United States with her mom when she was 5 years old. They were living in the United States with their family from her mother's side. Her mother died when she was 9 years old and her family took care of her after that.
Laura’s father, Heidel Enrique Silveria, worked as a civil engineer and lived in Colombia her entire life. Heidel’s occupation inspired Laura to work towards an architecture degree. As Laura pursued her studies, her relationship with Heidel grew closer since they were able to discuss building materials and other aspects of architecture.
Three months after Laura finished college, her father died of pancreatic cancer. The death of Heidel made her deal with not only his loss, but also the loss of her mother that she never truly processed.
Laura reflects on how her life experiences, including her parents' deaths, have shaped her perspective on self-reliance, success, and gratitude. Laura discusses her Colombian heritage and the complexities of navigating her identity between Colombian and American cultures. She reflects on reconnecting with her roots and the influence of her family's strong female figures on her identity and resilience.
Laura describes her role as an architect and project manager, expressing enjoyment in solving problems and overcoming challenges at work. She also discusses the dynamics of working in a male-dominated field and the strategies she employs to assert her competence and authority. Laura shares her personal definition of success, which revolves around pride in her work rather than conventional markers such as wealth or titles.
Object number2024.79.86
NotesSubject Note: The Connecticut Museum of Culture and History’s Community History Project (CHP) is a public-facing initiative, focused on contemporary collecting, gathering items of the recent past as well as from events happening today. This program developed community historians to identify, document, and preserve their experiences as residents of Connecticut, and to share these experiences during a series of community presentations. The project focused on the theme "Redefining Moments of Change." Conneticans share stories of people or events who have changed their lives or how they have sparked change in the lives of others.Cataloging Note: Digitization and access to this collection is supported by a Congressionally Directed grant through the U.S. Department of Education.
Subject Terms
- Greenwich
- People of color
- Oral history
- Interviews
- Oral narratives
- Death
- Family
- Grief
- Architecture, details
- Women
- Women white collar workers
- Colombian culture
- Immigration
- Architects
- Relationships
- Education
- Colombian people
- Interviews and Oral Histories
- Born Digital Audio
- Community History Project U.S. Department of Education grant
- Redefining Moments of Change Collection
On View
Not on view
10 July 2025
3 October 2025
Laura Hunt
Laura Hunt