A person’s environment, culture, upbringing, and race are all contributing factors in their perception. The United States had an estimated population of 318,857,056 in 2014. Its racial diversity in 2014 was: 62.1% white, 13.2 black or African American, 1.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 5.4% Asian, 0.2% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, 2.5% Multiracial American, 17.4% Hispanic or Latino (Quick Facts). These statistics only include people that were born in the United States, so the population of immigrants is not included. In “Mexican Americans and the American Dream,” Richard Alba informs the audience that Mexican-American’s are a highly diverse population that are also chasing the American Dream. However, since part of their population are immigrants, they are unable to achieve their goals due a lack of documentation, economic and educational opportunities, and discrimination. Thus, a common goal among immigrants is to achieve educational success. This American Dream is one of many variations that fall under personal perception: high school diploma, college degree, job, and many more. In “Trung Dung,” Trung and his family face many adversities in South Vietnam, when they try to send him oversees. His father was imprisoned as a result of the Vietnam War, so his mother had to work several jobs to support the family financial. She sold all their belongings to pay …show more content…
Educational success is the American Dream for most first-generation immigrants. This is clearly evident in the interview with Heriberto J. Saiz. He is a father of two, and has lived in the United States for over 30 years. When asked about his upbringing, he mentioned that he was born in Indio, CA but moved to Mexico at the age of 4. He grew up in the barrio, where drugs and violence were a common everyday occurrence. Being the eldest of three was a hard task because he had to set a good standard and example for his siblings to follow, even though, his educational prowess was not the best. His siblings were able to attend college thanks to their grades but he got through on a wrestling scholarship. He was in the Olympic wrestling team for Mexico during his last two years in college. The follow up question of the interview was, when and why did you decide to move to the US? Since he was born in California, the transition was legally easy. He was 25 at the time. He stayed in Pomona with family friends for about four years, hoping to earn enough money to buy a home to bring his fiancé (future wife) to. Even though, he had earned a bachelors in Agriculture Engineering, he felt that raising a family in the US would be far more beneficial for his future wife and