My American Dream

In the fall of 2012, I enrolled in North Hennepin Community College to pursue an Associate’s Degree in Accounting and my thirst for learning was awakened. I chose accounting because I previously had a background in bookkeeping and I have always enjoyed working with numbers. My goal when I first enrolled in North Hennepin was to acquire an Associate’s Degree, and join the workforce, however as I got closer to finishing my course there I realized I wanted a Bachelors’ Degree because I enjoyed challenging myself and learning material that was critical to my career.

From the early stages of American literature the dream of success has always been around, even at the very beginning. It has gone on the journey of merely surviving in small amounts of the literature from the native people to thriving in a growing society and being in everything. The dream to myself is becoming wealthy and being successful in everything I do. Today I believe that the dream has become different for everyone, every person has a different dream, a different way they want their life to go.

When my family and I decided to move to the United States, it was with the hope to obtain a better life and a better education for my brother and me. But when we arrived, our expectations turned out to be different than what we found here. Above all, to achieve a good education is not that simple because I have to face many barriers that make my education difficult, including adapting myself to the American culture, having parents that can 't help me with school work because they do not know English, and the most difficult part, dealing with a the poor background. From my experience, I can tell that immigrant students have to beat many obstacles in order to

Throughout life everybody has heard the line “Follow your dreams!” This simple sentence has inspired many. This idea of creating a dream and chasing it has inspired the American Dream. The American Dream is different for everybody. It could be getting married, creating a business, or being a hero. It turns out the American Dream is not for everybody. There is always something standing in the way of the American Dream. Race, social status, and the individual are standing in the way between the person and the American Dream.

Everyday thousands of people, illegally and legally, come to America seeking a new and better life and having the choice and freedom to start over. Through hard work and dedication, people believe America will provide them with the ability to pursue in their “American Dream” so they can be successful and content with their lives. In my “American Dream” I am a doctor who’s saving lives so people have the chance and ability to continue pursuing in their “American Dream.” My friends, family, and teachers push me to attain excellent grades, go to a college that’s renowned and well-known, and become a doctor, which in my father and mother’s opinion is a highly respected career. My parents believe that being a doctor you are highly respected because

I’ve had challenges in ranges from peas to elephants throughout my lifetime, but the biggest challenge I’ve faced Thus far has been navigating and blending cultures. From Burmese kids who’ve spent years in refugee camps to Congolese kids who’ve fled civil wars, to the American homeboys who wear baseball caps backwards, to me a girl from the congo who lives with parents that view the world in strict and narrow terms,my world is made up people from all over the world with one objective in mind- realizing their American Dream, freedom of thought, speech and opportunity to be who they are without fear. Every day is a new adventure with endless possibilities for those who are open and brave. I’m open and I’m brave, but I secretly live in a world

I’m home, I’m home, I’m home! I feel like a weight has withdrawn from my shoulders. I can finally start my ideal American Dream. I can marry my miss; have some young’uns of our own, and maybe even live in our own home in the suburbs. Just getting home from war is a bit intimidating not having what I had before, but I know I can make a better life for me by living the American Dream. I will have the perfect family, the best home, and maybe even the best White Collar job. Instead of working hard labor jobs, I will have a job that will pay me better to support my life. But, the only way to more likely earn it is to go to collage and thanks to the GI Bill I can. It is giving me the aid to find a job for myself and giving me unemployment benefits

While I anticipate the CLS being incredibly strenuous and demanding, for me, the most challenging portion of the program will likely extend beyond the time spent in country. In my experience, the most difficult part of international travel is not the adventure itself, but rather the transition back to my ordinary life. Adjusting from life in a developing nation poses unique challenges because it becomes difficult to relate to “first world problems.” I feel sense of discontent with my American lifestyle that will cause me to view my own cultural norms from an alternative perspective. Nevertheless, this return to my own reality does not evoke bitterness or a sense of cultural pretention. Rather, it has made me thankful, and caused me to consciously

September 15, 2015 marked the beginning of a new experience; the beginning of my new story. It was the day I said goodbye to my country, the place that watched me grow and was full of the people that I loved. This was the day I moved to the United States and left my family and friends in search of better opportunities for my life. With a suitcase full of dreams and goals, my family and I arrived to the United States, the land of opportunity. Moving from the country I was born and raised in helped me see the world in a different way and learn about the many cultures and perspectives that exist around the world. It has been one year since my family and I made the move, and I am proud of everything I have done. Every day I learn about this new

I am an international student from Japan. My major is Biology. Before I came to America, I had studied in a Japanese university. My major was Earth Science which is the study of environmental issues and is called Environmental Science in America. It is quite different from Biology. However, this does not mean that I changed my mind from Environmental Science to Biology.

I had absolutely no idea what major or career path I intended to pursue as I entered college. For years I had pictured myself as a movie director or artist, someone who could leave their mark on the world for years to come. And so I began my first week of my undergraduate classes in JMU’s School of Media Arts and Design. My parents both come from business backgrounds and they urged me to visit the career center or at least meander around the business school. I finally acquiesced and attended a School of Business orientation seminar, and much to their surprise, I immediately switched my major to accounting. The presentation I witnessed during the seminar completely changed my attitude towards the business world. I realized that I could maintain my passion for the arts while pursuing a career path that would give my children a life that my parents had so generously given to me. Admittedly, I was much more interested in the financial benefits of the accounting world than I was in the subject itself. However, as I progressed through the major and electives became available, I found myself enjoying the material. I had never realized how invaluable accountants were to a capitalist economy, or that I could apply my skills as a fraud examiner for the FBI. The more I learned about the profession, the more I learned about the significant role accountant’s play in today’s society.

College is the key to the American dream, and it’s road has a lot of financial sacrifice because it opens the doors of opportunity. According to Google, “The American Dream is the ideal that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative.” My American Dream is to become a surgeon, be living comfortably, have a family, live happily, and help others. Surgeons are specialized physicians who operate on patients to correct or remove malformations, repair injuries or conduct preventative procedures on patients. They may also conduct examinations on patients and advise them on their medical situations. Many surgeons specialize in one particular field, such as orthopedic, cardiovascular or neurological surgery” (Study.com). To make my American Dream a reality, I got to work really hard and sufficiently everyday to get my education right and secure my future. Starting Junior year, I need to reconsider everything that I do and focus more on studying, because without education, it’s hard to have a successful job and a successful life. My dream job isn’t an easy one to acquire. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication. Being a surgeon is one of the most wanted, but also one of the most difficult jobs out there.

The wide field, brimmed primarily with yellow, sprouting, lush, wild flowers and tall green grass, swayed gently in the crisp breeze. Deep within an abundance of towering pine trees, where the bluebirds chirped and the frogs croaked, babbled a crooked creek. The air was filled with the smell of moist bark and sweet blossoms, the sound of bees buzzing, and the feeling of serenity. I had lived in my very own oasis where all of my childhood dreams were born. I dreamed of all my “firsts”, my first kiss, my first love, my first high school dance, my first varsity soccer game in the stadium under the lights, my first day as a college student in a foreign city, my first paycheck as an employee, and countless more. My siblings and I staged and acted out various versions of the perfect little family with the house located in the countryside surrounded by the white picket fence to complete the stereotypical American Dream. My imagination was sparked by this magical sanctuary where I led my siblings in the pursuit of our hopes and dreams for a future that now in retrospect seemed untouchable.

“Tendrás que trabajar mucho y no tendrás el tiempo para aprender suficiente inglés e ir a la Universidad.” “You’ll have to work hard and won’t have the time to learn enough English to go to college” This was my welcoming to the American Dream. Being 21 years old and only knowing how to say “hi”, those words meant the end of my aspiration. Like an omen, three months later, I found myself making pillow cases and mattress covers in Brooklyn. Nevertheless, I decided to defy the odds by attending ESL classes Monday and Wednesday evenings Manhattan ,and on Sunday mornings in Queens. Since 2009, I was on a hiatus from college. But, I knew that learning English was the only way back to it. Despite suffering from sleep deprivation at that time, I persevered until the day I received my admission letter.

On the American Dream test created by the Ford Foundation, I received a 53 out of 100. I expected a score around here so I was not too shocked but it does still help me remain grateful for everything that I have been given. This score does seem extremely accurate because I have been extremely fortunate to have grown up in an upper class home in one of the safest and affluent neighborhoods in the city of Chicago. However, I expected my score to be higher than the minimum because I have worked very hard for my finances. The factors that helped me move up were that I was put in the best position available from society’s view point as a white male which has kept me away from most discrimination. This put together with being raised by both of my parents in a safe, affluent neighborhood away from crime and danger while in good health has driven my score lower. Having a very steady childhood with both of my parents remaining in good health while married, happily or not, has helped keep me closer to the ideal “American dream”. Growing up in such an amazing place while attending private schools through high school, I have always been pushed to do better and that my standards are never high enough. One privilege that has always helped me is my parent’s dedication to my education. Escaping urban oppression in the Chicago Public Schools, my private education helped me with my acceptance into one of Chicagoland area’s most prestigious and challenging high schools.