Revised WP3: Pursuit or Illusion?

The American Dream is not my dream. It was a passed down concept I adopted from my parents when we immigrated from Colombia to Miami. I still remember when my mom asked if I wanted to move to the US with her — something I had never really thought of at seven-years-old but regardless I said yes. With this newfound agency from my mom, I began to experience the American Dream from then on. Through acculturation, immigration procedures and paperwork, and newfound academic success, I lived the dream my mom always imagined for me. Today, I am the realization of all the hard work and sacrifices she made. But in the back of my mind, I always wondered if the doubts and questions that lingered were shared by others.

Ultimately raising the question, should we even attempt to pursue this historic concept anymore? In 2025, we are overwhelmed with daily headlines of economic and political uncertainty, a constant reminder that the ease of personal and financial success generations before us achieved is no longer attainable. The doubts that Gen Z college students are experiencing as they enter the next phase of their lives deserve to be more visible and validated to prevent burnout and empower them to pursue the future they desire, not the one expected of them.

While the modern American Dream continues to inspire others with visions of economic prosperity, success, and upward mobility, I find myself increasingly skeptical of this ideal’s relevance to my own aspirations. The pursuit of externally defined achievements, whether they are led by wealth, professional status, or societal approval, now feels hollow and disconnected from my personal values and fulfillment. For me, the American Dream has transformed from a compelling goal into a limitation of my full potential. One that emphasizes external validation over genuine happiness and self-defined purpose. Instead of seeking a life dictated by external markers of success, I want to create personal authenticity and meaningful relationships, valuing my emotional well-being and personal growth over material accomplishments.

In my Writing Project 1: The Invisible 1.5 Generation, I explored the experience of being a young immigrant to the United States. Through the project, I had the opportunity to interview Bita Beheshti, who like me, immigrated to Sacramento at age 9. Our conversation about our shared experiences and the impact of the idealization of American opportunities led me to want to investigate further. I remained curious about whether the uncertain perception about the reality of the American Dream was unique to the 1.5 generation, young immigrants to a country, or beyond us. In my Writing Project 2: The American Dream, Opportunity or Illusion, I expanded my search for answers through a series of interviews, and the resounding answer was that 50% of my participants did not believe the American Dream exists today.

The term American Dream was first coined by James Truslow Adams in his book The Epic of America from 1931. Adams writes, “The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” This challenged the traditional aristocratic European expectations at the time, where social mobility was inhibited by the socioeconomic status you were born in. From then on, the US drew millions of immigrants seeking economic opportunity and personal liberty. For children of immigrants like myself, it includes our families.

In my conversation with Bita Beheshti we identified this dream as the main pull factor for our families. This dream spillover to the next generation. For Bita and me, it became an intrinsic power that fueled our academic success. “I worked so hard to get here because at the end of the day there’s this naggy feeling in my head, like, this all wouldn’t have been worth it if I can’t do well.” As our generation prepares to enter the workforce and start their adult lives post-graduation, we are carrying the external expectations of immense success placed upon us by our parents and their generations before us. In the United States, attending a top university, achieving a high paying job immediately post-graduation, buying a house, having a family, etc. Thus dream does not belong to us, but to the generations before us. One that extends from Post-WWII America when prosperity, homeownership, and social mobility became central to its meaning. For Bita and I, we were successful in the first stage, attending and affording college education. Yet, as our cohort prepares to graduate college in 2025, we are facing unprecedented challenges that hinder our ability to complete the successive steps.

Currently in April, more than half of my graduating friends remain in the recruiting process and have no job positions lined up. This trend extends beyond the USC graduating class. News headlines read, “The job market is tough for new graduates — even if you dropped $200,000 on an elite MBA” from Sherwood News and “Degree in hand, jobs out of reach: Why recent grads are struggling in a competitive market” from CNN. The takeaway from this, a competitive degree, even at an Ivy League university is not enough to guarantee our success. The article mentions that as of January 2025, 84% of job-seeking graduates from the top 15 US business schools secured jobs within three months of graduation, a 8% decrease from 92% in 2019.

A difficult job market pairs up with unprecedented high student loans. As students from the University of Southern California, we already face one of the highest academic tuition rates in the United States, with the estimated cost of attendance for the academic year 2025–2026 nearing $100,000. Yet the difficulty of affordability is a nationwide issue. According to the Pew Research Center, a quarter of US adults under the age of 40 years old owe student loans. Forbes reported that the total student loan debt totaled 1.75 trillion dollars, with a $28,950 owed on average per borrower. These statistics give insight into the harsh economics of a recent graduate, struggling to break into the entry-level market, with thousands of dollars in debt to be responsible for.

These new responsibilities can be a source of financial and emotional stress for young adults. The overwhelming feeling of having to follow this path but facing barriers and failing to complete each step of the American dream ideal can be extremely harmful. This unrealistic path is simply not achievable for all in today’s standards. This recurring thought pushed me to pursue the purpose of my writing project 2, looking for trends about beliefs and misconceptions of the American dream. From my research, the key statistics demonstrated that 60% of respondents did not believe in the American dream, 70% believe it does not exist today, and only 20% believe that it’s achievable for everyone today. The disengagement with the concept demonstrates a departure from its idealization, with many questioning if pursuing this traditional path is even worth it. Bianca, one of my respondents and a 2025 USC college graduate summarized the overall sentiment, “I don’t think it ever existed, but today it’s even more glaringly obvious that it’s not achievable for most people.”

Along with Bianca, I have seen the departure of hope and trust of a stable future in the United States in the faces of my graduating friends. One by one applying to over 100 jobs, attending multiple rounds of interviews and receiving rejection after rejection. This long-term pressure paired with the short term stress of finals, projects, and due dates have become a recipe for burnout. I followed up with Bianca, one of my interviewees for Project 2, “It’s exhausting to wake up every morning with this impending weight on your shoulders of needing to have your whole life figured out … paired with finals and last graduation deadlines, it’s simply too much…” All this uncertainty is valid. And while it’s often downplayed by older adults around us, it’s important to build a safe space to vocalize our insecurities and gain support from others.

Furthermore, my interviewees identified the main barriers to achieving the American dream today. Anusha commented, “Lack of a livable wage, housing affordability, and terrible job markets.” Dominik contributed, “If you’re outside America, immigration is the biggest barrier; if you’re inside, it’s financial stability.” This pairs up well with the headlines and research that I came across on this topic. However, despite this great skepticism, many respondents held out hope that the American Dream could be redefined. Reed mentioned that “More government support, reduced housing costs, and higher wages” were needed to make sufficient change. Similarly, Patricia stated “More job opportunities, better wages, and overcoming barriers like language and education” as the primary assets for redefinition.

As mentioned before, huge structural changes are needed to achieve this. Many beyond our control that require huge government efforts and economical redistribution of wealth. While this can see out of our reach, our generation plays a key role in influencing the socio political sphere. Social media has become a key tool in gaining awareness and pushing for change. Young voters have become avid participants in democracy. In the 2024 election, 47% of eligible young voters attended the polls, an increase from 2016’s 39%, according to CIRCLE at Tufts University. Young Adults have also turned to activism with massive protests, including the Pro-Palestine protests of spring 2024, with their effectiveness in gaining worldwide support and awareness. With this in mind, we hold the ability to redefine our future if we chose to do so. Working towards a more equitable and obtainable future, one that lives up to the ideals of the American dream, could be possible if we decide to pursue it.

However, putting our future on these collective plans may not reflect our individual long term goals. Other respondents from my writing project expressed their disinterest in working towards redefinition in America. Kaia stated “Making it more broad… not just about stereotypical achievements, but how you’ve made it in life.” Likewise, Aylin mentioned “To be able to move out of America. That’s the big success.” I believe part of achieving our goals is understanding when our environment is no longer aligned with our vision. The systematic changes mentioned previously will require years to achieve. Yet as young adults, time is not in our favor to achieve this stability. Unfortunately, like Kaia and Aylin, I no longer feel the desire to forge a future for myself in the United States. After long reflection, and partly these writing projects, I’ve learned that my perceptions are part of a larger picture. Hearing from others their concerns in writing project 2 gave me a sense of security and understanding that I was longing for. But at the same time, my fears that I no longer saw myself in the US long term were true. And like Kaia and Aylin, it reaffirmed for me that I needed to work on a future elsewhere.

Each of these interviews underscores how deeply external perceptions shape the American Dream today, reinforcing my belief that chasing this ideal could lead to my disillusionment rather than real satisfaction. Hearing others’ experiences has reinforced my determination to distance myself from the definition of the American dream and its success that does not align with my internal motivations. I now see clearly that embracing a future outside of this traditional path will allow me to form the personal authenticity and freedom I so desire. The pressure to conform to societal expectations often leads to a cycle of stress and dissatisfaction.

Writing project 3 for me signifies a final departure from long held hope that I would return to the search of success in the US. However, the current administration, their policies, and their lookout for the future paired with the incremental instability as a young adult are not enough to keep me in a dream that was never mine. One that I adopted from my immigrant parents, derived from a promise of incredible success in the United States. And although like me, many other young adults are expected to uphold it, it may be time to leave it or reconstruct it. Writing project 3 hopes to validate young adult’s fears and remind them of the agency they hold in their hands: either to stay and redefine what America can be and signify or look towards a different future elsewhere.

Ultimately, choosing to reject the traditional American Dream is not an act of giving up or cowardice, but an empowering step towards defining my own life. By abandoning the relentless pursuit of externally validated success I was programmed to pursue, I embrace a vision of life of personal meaning, individual satisfaction, and authenticity. For me, discarding the illusion of the American Dream opens doors to a future of genuine fulfillment, driven not by societal expectations, but by my own values and desires. Moving forward, my focus will remain on discovery and creating a life that I always wished for, emphasizing community, creativity, and emotional authenticity. Recognizing and rejecting the externally driven American Dream is an affirmation of my personal agency and my commitment to live my life to the fullest.

Works Cited

1. Adams, James Truslow. The Epic of America. Little, Brown, and Company, 1931.
2. “The Invisible 1.5 Generation.” Medium, 2023, https://medium.com/writing-340/the-invisible-1-5-generation-d6f7690bce18.
3. “WP2: The American Dream: Opportunity or Illusion?” Medium, 2023, https://medium.com/writing-340/wp2-the-american-dream-opportunity-or-illusion-037d79bd8092.
4. Sherwood News. “Job Market Still Tough for Graduates — Even If They Dropped $200,000 on an MBA.” Sherwood News, 2024, https://sherwood.news/business/job-market-tough-graduates-even-if-dropped-usd200-000-on-mba/.
5. Lobosco, Katie. “The Job Market for Recent College Graduates Is Getting Worse.” CNN, 26 Jan. 2025, https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/26/economy/job-market-recent-grads-colleges/index.html.
6. NBC Los Angeles. “USC Tuition and Cost of Attendance: What You Need to Know.” NBC Los Angeles, 2024, https://www.nbclosangeles.com/education/usc-cost-of-attendance-tuition/3653081/.
7. Fry, Richard. “Facts about Student Loans in the U.S.” Pew Research Center, 18 Sept. 2024, https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/09/18/facts-about-student-loans/.
8. Zhou, Anna Helhoski and Ben Luthi. “Average Student Loan Debt in 2024.” Forbes Advisor, 2024, https://www.forbes.com/advisor/student-loans/average-student-loan-debt-statistics/.
9. University of Kentucky. “Behind the Blue: Experts Discuss Social Media’s Growing Influence on Politics.” UKNow, 2024, https://uknow.uky.edu/research/behind-blue-experts-discuss-social-media-s-growing-influence-politics.
10. Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE). “New Data: Nearly Half of Youth Voted in 2024.” Tufts University, 2024, https://circle.tufts.edu/latest-research/new-data-nearly-half-youth-voted-2024.