The American Dream Reflection

The approach I took was focusing on the three individuals themselves and their story of fulfilling their American dream. For my father, Salvador, I focused on his aspect as an immigrant because it allowed me to see the struggles that an immigrant has to go through to achieve their dream.  This in turn allowed me to contrast between the American dream for an immigrant and a person who was born here, which was surprisingly similar but their approaches were a little different. Salvador was very focused on getting a job to have money so he wouldn't have to worry about anything, Selena’s dream was to have a home and a nice life for her children, and Cassie’s was to just be happy and proud of what you have done. Between the three of them the American dream was different but they had a common connection, family.

I never expected family to be the center of it, I thought people would have tried to focus more on bettering themselves but that wasn't the case. The whole reason they strove so hard was for the future of their children. That is inspirational; it shows that the people in my neighborhood no matter where they come from rather have to work a lot so their kids won’t have to. These people cannot be called greedy, they started at the bottom and got to the top without complaining about their struggles, they embraced them.

It was hard trying to find the right people and the right stories to tell in order for my project to make a strong point. I wanted strong stories that some people could relate to and understand. The hardest part was figuring out if I could portray Salvador, Selena, and Cassie’s stories in a way that wasn't too emotional but are able to stick out and show that it’s not easy to achieve the American dream, it’s a lifelong process.

Salvador and Selena’s stories made me reconsider what I thought the American dream was. They went through so much in their childhood and have done so much for themselves and their children. I use to think the American dream didn't mean anything because it could never be obtained. But I was wrong, it is obtainable, it’s a matter of if a person is willing to work hard enough for it.