American Dream Interviews

Marty Sugerik: Mr. Sugerik’s view of the American Dream was primarily the ability and necessity to get a good education to be able to do what you want, to be educated enough to be wanted for your skills. Because if you have an education you have the ability to switch professions at will depending on what you want to do at that period in time and still be able to pay the bills and make a life for yourself doing something you love and are interested in, something that never gets dull for you.

Carol Roycroft (my grandmother): My grandmother’s view of the American Dream had three different facets: 1. Family and Friends – when you have a wonderful family and good friends that you love and trust and make you feel good about your life. 2. When your life has purpose, when you feel like you have accomplished something in your life and are satisfied with it, you feel like you have made a difference in the world around you. 3. When you have a strong faith, i.e. Christianity and have something that you believe in unconditionally and are devoted to.

Ed Pickett: My father’s view of the American Dream is the choice to be able to do what you want. To be able to choose your life and let it be based on personal merit rather than your initial social standing, allowing people to climb out of their initial circumstances if they put forth the effort and conviction to do it. That is what sets America apart from the other countries of the world, our ability to choose our life without it being dictated to us by someone else but rather have the opportunity to rise to greater heights in our lifetime.