# data[].attributes.body
My understanding of the American Dream is that anyone, no matter who or where you come from, can pursue their dreams and main goals by becoming a U.S. citizen. It's not just about having the typical white picket fence and huge house because there's so much more to that. It's all the hard work, time, and effort a person is willing to put in. Knowing that everyone equally has the freedom to live a life however they want. No matter what there's always going to be a life of poverty and a low-income life. Regardless of what class you were born into, pushing yourself, working, and educating yourself can set an individual upwards to a set of ideals and success. Not everyone has the same set of goals they maintain for themselves but it's just the tiny bit of hope everyone grasps. The hope of that they're lucky enough to have the opportunity to grow in their own time and space.

# data[].attributes.body
Being able to maintain and provide for my family would be my biggest priority and accomplishment. Due to the reason that all I would ever want is for them to be safe and happy. Providing for my family is as simple as having a meal on the table every day and maintaining a nice comfy home for everyone to feel free to do whatever they please to feel safe and welcomed. There are numerous families, especially immigrants that have to deal with being separated and abandoned by their loved ones which is incredibly sad to me and wish the complete opposite for me.

# data[].attributes.body
Education is really hard for most individuals to accomplish due to all the hardships that come with it. But, here in the U.S. it's a place where one can decide what they want to pursue in their future career whatever that may be. I know getting the free education I'm receiving now will help me with my critical thinking, interact with others and open up so many job opportunities for me.

# data[].attributes.body
Many people from other countries don't have the advantage of having free health-care near their homes. Medicine and going to simple check-ups to see the doctor can be very expensive and health is very important to be able to live a stable life.

# data[].attributes.headline
The American Dream Is Alive and Well Article, By: The New York Times

# data[].attributes.subject
The American Dream Is Alive and Well Article, By: The New York Times

# data[].attributes.body
This article by The New York Times supports my thesis statement because there's evidence showing that Americans believe they are living the American Dream right now. Ideally, the American Dream is to "be wealthy", "have a better quality of life than your parents" and a "successful career" which is to be true but there was a survey that was done on many individuals and it was shown how these factors are seen to be much less important nowadays. According to the article it states, "This pattern — seeing the American dream as more about community and individuality than material success and social mobility — appeared across demographic and political categories." This shows how having freedom and becoming the best version of themselves is more essential than money. Over time people eventually realize that being happy is truly important to get where you want in life and be successful. Another example from the article is, "The data also show that most Americans believe themselves to be achieving this version of the American dream, with 41 percent reporting that their families are already living the American dream and another 41 percent reporting that they are well on the way to doing so." This is proof of how people are starting to realize that they have and want everything in life and over time they reflect and look at how hard each individual has worked. To conclude, there are different versions of what the American Dream looks like to each person but the majority of the people state the fact that it is very much possible to live the "American Dream".

# data[].attributes.body
In the book The Distance Between Us, chapter 22 supports my thesis statement because it's proof from this writer's perspective of how having nothing has turned her into the successful woman she is today. This gives hope to many others as well. As you read, Reyna reflects on her life and explains how little life she had back in Mexico feeling hopeless with little to no money and no support from either of her parents. Her life wasn't great at all since her education wasn't as sustainable as it is in the U.S. but over time she realized how she wasn't going to waste her time and not take advantage of the fact that she's a U.S. citizen now. In this chapter, she finds herself surprised to see how far she's gone and her number one supporter helped and pushed her to be the best version of herself. On page 307 Reyna says, "Neither Diana nor could I have known that 17 years later, I would find myself sitting in Sandra Cisneros' dining room...I couldn't have known what the future held for me. All I could do back then was to allow myself to dream. " This shows how the American Dream was successful for Reyna but it wasn't easy.

# data[].attributes.body
This motivational speech by Ben Lionel Scott supports my thesis statement because it explains how success is available to anyone out there who is willing to commit and put in hard work and effort. An example that was used in the video was that an oak tree seed being planted in a 2-foot pot would never be able to grow to the fullest potential since an oak tree is huge and the pot is so tiny but there's absolutely nothing wrong with the seed, it just needs it's full space and time to grow or else it will become stifled. The only thing wrong was that the seed was put into the wrong environment. This relates to a person as well because the environment that a person was born into and grew up in shouldn't dictate what you want to do with your life to become the best and fullest version of yourself. Just like the seed, it takes time. To this day, people have their own set of dreams every day whether it's big or small but pushing forward through all the failures and bumps in the road is what makes you become successful in life and not allow criticism from other people to put you down causing regrets in life. This video states, "the power of dreaming is that you're able to control your destiny since it's available to you."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
PROVE EVERYONE WRONG - Motivational Speech

# data[].attributes.body
The person that I decided to interview is my dad. To him, the term “American Dream” means where a person has the freedom to choose their goals and the ability to achieve them as long as they set their mind to it. My father's American dream is a life with a happy and healthy family, a nice home, and a successful career. He came from Mexico where he lived a life of poverty and hard struggles with his family where his parents (my grandparents) would have to provide for all 7 children that they had. Watching his mother do everything in her power to protect him and his siblings made him realize that he wanted a better life and do the same in the future. Over time, his hopes and dreams have come true. He immigrated from Mexico to the U.S. and after waiting 15 years, he finally became a U.S. citizen. He is now a real estate agent and has bought his own home for my mom, my siblings, and me. After many hardships such as getting cancer, and losing lots of money and family, he has now provided a life for me to become the best version of myself. Coming from his personal experience my father believes the American Dream is realistic, it's just different for everyone. He states that life is never perfect and it is perfectly normal to lose all motivation and feel hopeless about their dream but pushing through that, is what eventually leads to success.

# data[].attributes.body
I have chosen the song, One Tribe, by the Black Eyed Peas because the story behind it talks about how living in America is a place for everyone to feel as free and equal as they choose to be. In the song the lyrics say:
"One tribe, one time, one planet, one race
It's all one blood, don't care about your face
The color of your eye
Or the tone of your skin
Don't care where you are, don't care where you been
'Cause where we gonna go...'Cause man I'm loving this peace" This shows how people can have the opportunity to live a life free of evil and to just live in peace because at the end of the day, most people just want the same thing which is living equally and respected. Additionally, another lyric from the song that proves the American Dream is alive and well is:
"One love, one blood, one people
One heart, one beat, we equal
Connected like the internet
United that's how we do
Let's break walls, so we see through
Let love and peace lead you". These lyrics show how holding onto that hope can lead one another to grow and reach their potential goals.