By Mary Kate Tramontano
Z, 20, is a first-generation American whose parents moved to The United States from South America during the 1990s. Originally planning to only remain here for medical school, his parents decided to stay because of the opportunities their children would have. The first time he heard the full story of his parent’s move to America, he said it made him feel as though he had to take full advantage of the opportunities available so his parents would “feel like they made the right decision.”
I sat down with Z last week to talk about his family’s story and his video on the American Dream. “The American Dream isn’t meant for me, it’s meant for people like my parents,” Z stated at the start of our interview. In theory, the American dream would be a country with endless opportunities to be taken advantage of according to Z. Ultimately that is the reason his parents decided to permanently move here.
Unfortunately, all of their problems did not disappear when they moved. Z says his parents divorced a few years ago as a result of built-up tension around the decision to not return to South America. “So a lot of riffs started because they decided to stay for us,” Z stated, “they both got super depressed because they could not see their families.” When Z heard his parent’s story for the first time in middle school he says he took it pretty personally saying, “I have to make this worth it.” Z channeled this energy into making sure he always did what made him the happiest. “I’m a geology major,” Z stated, “I will not be making money, it’s objectively a poor life decision but I always just really enjoyed it.” At an esteemed university, Z says he sees his peers applying to competitive internships and being hyperfocused on making large sums of money in the future.
When I asked Z if he thought his personal American Dream was feasible he stated, “yeah and I think I’m doing a pretty damn good job.” He also stated, “I live my life just understanding happiness is my main priority.”
In his free time, Z enjoys making collages and murals. This is one of his latest works meant to represent the things he loves, hates, and in-betweens. In our interview, he said it is representative of how he lives his life.
Z is…
- 20 Years-Old
- Male, Cisgender
- White
- Latinx / Hispanic
- Atheist / Agnostic
- Middle Class
- Gay