At a school shaped by immigrant families, teaching the American Dream as a financial milestone misses its true meaning
During the first week of February, juniors at AHS had a timed writing assessment to define an attainable American Dream. Through various sources, students analyzed rising housing prices, student debt, and shifting definitions of success. Yet the discussion centered almost entirely on the assumption that the American Dream is primarily about money and homeownership.
Across the source packet, the American Dream is treated mostly as a financial goal. Anna Kodé from a New York Times article, explains how the dream gradually became cemented around homeownership. Archbridge Institute’s 2024 infographic measures the stability of the American Dream through income mobility and financial independence. In a USA Today article, Charisse Jones focuses on student debt, wages, and rising costs.
Yet, this makes it seem like the American Dream is only about financial success. But for many immigrant families, financial security is a result of opportunity—not the definition of it. In a classroom where the majority of the students are immigrants or second-generation Americans, this distinction matters.
America has long been described as a meritocracy where people can succeed through hard work regardless of their background. This belief has drawn millions of immigrants to the country who hoped to escape the rigid social systems of their countries of origin, where caste, last name, or religion determines opportunity.
Saanika Urgaonkar (11), whose parents immigrated to America, said, “When my parents talk about why they came here, they don’t mention money first. It’s more about having more options for jobs and social mobility.”
For first-generation students, this idea isn’t abstract. Many grow up hearing stories of parents who left extended family behind, worked multiple jobs, and navigated a new language and culture. The expectation to make their parents’ sacrifices worthwhile can feel heavy, and the American Dream becomes tied not just to personal ambition but also to honoring those sacrifices.
Urgaonkar said, “There’s this pressure to do something meaningful with the opportunities they have provided me with, especially since they didn’t have them initially. The American Dream for me is more about not wasting the chances they’ve given me.”
When lessons in class reduce the dream to economic statistics, it narrows something personal for many students. It pushes a version of the dream shaped by white Americans rather than the realities of immigrant families who came seeking opportunity.
This financial framing did not emerge randomly. Historically, the mainstream version of the American Dream was developed by white, middle-class Americans who were not systematically excluded from opportunities because of caste, religion, or immigrant status. Thus, success often becomes defined by upward economic mobility because basic security was already guaranteed for those people.
In contrast, for many immigrant families, the “opportunity” itself is the milestone. The ability to pursue higher education, choose a profession freely, or practice religion openly may represent fulfillment before wealth even enters the picture.
When the curriculum centers on financial definitions of success without equally valuing immigrant narratives, it reflects the historical lens through which American institutions were built. Public education was not originally designed with immigrant-majority classrooms in mind. As demographics shift, the curriculum should continuously evolve too.
The American Dream unit in junior year does include a video of first-generation Americans discussing the topic, but that brief perspective feels secondary to the other, lengthy written sources that focus on economic data.
Yet, if the goal is to prompt students to examine definitions of the American Dream, curricula should reflect the experiences most common in the classroom. It should ask how immigration and cultural expectations shape what the dream means, and recognize that for some families, simply having the chance to make a life through hard work and merit is already part of achieving the American Dream.
Eagle Era 
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