Interview with Nathaniel (Nate) Garcia
Date1 July 2025
Mediumborn digital audio file
DimensionsDuration: 52 Minutes, 39 Seconds
ClassificationsInformation Artifacts
Credit LineCommunity History Project Collection
Description(a) Audio file of interview with Nathaniel Garcia. He was interviewed by Tania Alfonso on 1 July 2025 in Bridgeport, Connecticut. (b) Photograph of Nathaniel Garcia taken at his interview.
Nathaniel Garcia was interviewed as part of the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History's Community History Project discussing moments of change in his life.
Nate talked about how he views change as a transformation that can be physical or emotional. Nate describes his moment of change as getting the teaching job at Housatonic Community College in Bridgeport, CT. He goes on to say how the job is a good fit because it’s still close to NYC, so he can still visit friends, and it provides him with a steady income, so he has more creative freedom.
The catalyst for this moment of change was going through a divorce. He had been married for 10 years, and what started as a separation eventually turned into a divorce. He talks about living in NYC and being able to afford it because of a two-income household, but during and after the divorce, he found himself struggling financially. This led to him applying for jobs all over the country. After his divorce, he found himself in a place where he had to face himself, and do a lot of reflecting on his work history, and on what his best option was going forward.
Nate’s story begins in Southern California, where he grew up and spent most of his formative years. He talks about how seeing the art scene flourish in Los Angeles and being a part of it was an extremely formative experience. Nate found himself teaching almost immediately after grad school. He got his MFA [Masters of Fine Arts], and the jobs that came naturally were teaching jobs. He found he had a love for teaching.
Nate views teaching as rewarding work, primarily because he feels he’s making an impact, and he can see the effect his teaching has on the students. He talks about being able to see the growth in his students from the start of the semester to the end of it. Nate mentions a cycle of teaching, where what you experience outside the classroom feeds into what you teach, and what you teach feeds into what you do outside the classroom.
He talks about how teaching has made him a better artist. Nate has found that after his moment of change, he is more focused and more at peace with his life. He talks more to his family, saying, “I talk to my family a lot more like phone and text and stuff like that. So, I have almost, like, more mental space or mental clarity for relationships with family,” and he also has a newfound confidence in himself.
Nate describes a growth in his faith, not necessarily in a religious connotation, but more so as faith in himself and the inherent goodness of the universe. He concludes the interview by discussing how, in the face of adversity, some people fold and some people focus. He feels as though he didn’t fold, but rather focused and overcame his difficulties. Nate’s words of advice are “Being true to yourself, especially when things are hard.”
Nathaniel Garcia was interviewed as part of the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History's Community History Project discussing moments of change in his life.
Nate talked about how he views change as a transformation that can be physical or emotional. Nate describes his moment of change as getting the teaching job at Housatonic Community College in Bridgeport, CT. He goes on to say how the job is a good fit because it’s still close to NYC, so he can still visit friends, and it provides him with a steady income, so he has more creative freedom.
The catalyst for this moment of change was going through a divorce. He had been married for 10 years, and what started as a separation eventually turned into a divorce. He talks about living in NYC and being able to afford it because of a two-income household, but during and after the divorce, he found himself struggling financially. This led to him applying for jobs all over the country. After his divorce, he found himself in a place where he had to face himself, and do a lot of reflecting on his work history, and on what his best option was going forward.
Nate’s story begins in Southern California, where he grew up and spent most of his formative years. He talks about how seeing the art scene flourish in Los Angeles and being a part of it was an extremely formative experience. Nate found himself teaching almost immediately after grad school. He got his MFA [Masters of Fine Arts], and the jobs that came naturally were teaching jobs. He found he had a love for teaching.
Nate views teaching as rewarding work, primarily because he feels he’s making an impact, and he can see the effect his teaching has on the students. He talks about being able to see the growth in his students from the start of the semester to the end of it. Nate mentions a cycle of teaching, where what you experience outside the classroom feeds into what you teach, and what you teach feeds into what you do outside the classroom.
He talks about how teaching has made him a better artist. Nate has found that after his moment of change, he is more focused and more at peace with his life. He talks more to his family, saying, “I talk to my family a lot more like phone and text and stuff like that. So, I have almost, like, more mental space or mental clarity for relationships with family,” and he also has a newfound confidence in himself.
Nate describes a growth in his faith, not necessarily in a religious connotation, but more so as faith in himself and the inherent goodness of the universe. He concludes the interview by discussing how, in the face of adversity, some people fold and some people focus. He feels as though he didn’t fold, but rather focused and overcame his difficulties. Nate’s words of advice are “Being true to yourself, especially when things are hard.”
Object number2024.79.39a-b
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
- Bridgeport
- People of color
- Oral history
- Interviews
- Oral narratives
- Divorce
- Art
- College teachers
- Teaching
- Personal financial management
- Faith
- Students
- Family
- Men
- Relationships
- Artists
- Los Angeles (Calif.)
- 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
