T was born in South America where she spent her childhood throughout middle school. She attended one of the best schools in the country and was at the top of her class. In 2013, T moved to NY with her mother and siblings for better opportunity, attending high school there. Although T was at first nervous about what an American school had in store for her, she developed into a social butterfly, enjoying time with her friends and playing for the school volleyball team. She would continue to excel as valedictorian. T went on to attend a Northeast university. T has now landed a job after graduation. She also recently became a citizen.
Though T has found herself achieving the American Dream and becoming a citizen, she feels there is very little for her to be patriotic about. “I just feel like I was fortunate enough to be raised by a strong woman who also knew how to take care of her kids. My mom made sure my education came first. I also had an older sister who set me a great example. A lot of kids don’t have that. A lot of kids are in families that don’t even care about them. If I was born into a family with a less responsible mother, who knows where I would have ended up. If the American Dream isn’t possible for all of us, it doesn’t exist.”
If the American Dream isn’t possible for all of us, it doesn’t exist.
T has similar hopes and dreams for her little brother, but has concerns with him living in her old neighborhood and him being of a darker skin tone than her. It seems that even some people who accomplish the American dream have a healthy amount of skepticism towards it. Despite this, T still has expectations of excellence for her younger brother because of the family that he is raised in, and the influences he’s surrounded by in their household. T wants everybody to have the opportunities that she was granted, and has hopes of a better, fully actualized American Dream.
T is…
- 20 years-old
- Female, Cisgender
- Black
- Caribbean
- Working Class
- Bisexual
