Interviewer
Eloisa Arenas
Project
Stories from the Chamizal Library
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Summary of Interview
Alma Chavira (now Chavira de Nájera), born in 1954 in El Paso, Texas, experienced a childhood defined by the fluid boundaries of the border region. Although she was raised in Juárez until the age of 14, she attended a private Catholic convent school in El Paso through the sixth grade, a routine that involved a complex daily commute via bus, streetcar, and foot across the international bridge. Describing her upbringing as "pocha," she recalls the seamless transition of speaking Spanish at home in Juárez and English at school in El Paso. When the rising costs of private tuition and uniforms became a burden for her family, they moved to an apartment in El Segundo Barrio to allow Chavira and her sisters to attend public schools, including Bowie High School.
The transition from a strict, all-girls Catholic environment to the co-educational setting of Bowie High School presented significant cultural and social adjustments. Chavira recalls struggling with the different behaviors of male students and the school’s rigid dress code, which required girls to wear dresses and heels even in cold weather. She vividly describes the student "rebellion" of 1970-1971, where students successfully pushed for the right for girls to wear pants instead of being forced into more restrictive attire. Despite these challenges, she found deep meaning in community traditions, such as the graduation mass held for Bowie students at Sacred Heart Church in the heart of the barrio.
Driven by a strong work ethic inherited from her parents—a father who worked in cattle export and a mother who worked in seasonal canneries—Chavira pursued a career in healthcare. During her senior year at Bowie, she enrolled in a specialized vocational nursing program through the community college, qualifying as a Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) in 1972. She reflects with pride on her independence at age 17, when she secured a Lions Club scholarship to fly alone to Austin to take her nursing board exams—an experience she describes as feeling like a "dream". Now a grandmother, Chavira observes how the neighborhood has changed from a walkable community to a car-dependent city, and she encourages the younger generation to understand that the "American Dream" is achieved only through perseverance and hard work.
This interview is related to the interviews with Graciela Orquiz and Sylvia Torresdey, as they are sisters
Date of Interview
5-1-2026
Length of Interview
48.5 minutes
Transcript Number
1820
Length of Transcript
7 pages
Interview Number
1820
Terms of Use
Unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Interview with Alma Chavaria (Alma Najera) by Eloisa Arenas, 2026, "Interview No. 1820," Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso.
Comments
This interview is related to the interviews with Graciela Orquiz and Sylvia Torresdey, as they are sisters.