My great grandfather escaped poverty in Italy and came to NY, where he couldn’t speak English, was working on the early skyscrapers and was ultimately thrown off one because it was a competitive job for immigrants.
My grandfather dropped out of school and supported the family, then joined the military, fought in WWII and came back and worked at a lumber mill until his retirement.
My dad got an associates degree and worked his entire life as a Postal Worker. He was extremely good with money, budgeted every dollar and gave us the best childhood we could have imagined.
My sisters and I all graduated from State School Colleges & Universities (SUNY) and are now executives in education, healthcare and tech.
The first one of our children to graduate high school was valedictorian.
The American Dream is generational.
