In Search of the American Dream

By Kaci Benoit and Andy Constantine

"I am a teenager living in the United States, and I know I can be whatever I want to be and have goals and the potential to be able to reach them"

Over the course of the week, members of "The Stinging Truth" team interviewed immigrants about their life stories. While they have two different cultures, there is one common theme that unites them. In a panelist discussion, we talked to two very strong young people. Ahmed Badr and Aiti Rai are both refugees who were forced to overcome struggles harder than we could ever imagine. Struggles that threatened their lives.

Ahmed is a refugee from Iraq, whose home was destroyed by a bomb. He and his family had to leave when he was just a young boy. They fled to Syria, where they stayed as refugees for two and a half years before they received visas from the U.S. He believes he has had it easier than some other refugees because he never had to live in a refugee camp and had little difficulty adapting to the American lifestyle because he was only a kid when he arrived here. This to me is very admirable. Even though he has been through so much, Ahmed doesn’t consider himself entitled and feels empathy for those who are worse off. Ahmed is now a student at Wesleyan University and is speaking out by telling his story. Besides telling his story, he has also created a website. Narratio is a workspace for youth, designed so that young people from all around the world can express themselves and tell their stories. Ahmed says that storytelling is a privilege, and being able to speak out and have people that want to hear your story is a privilege.

Another outstanding individual that I had the opportunity to meet was Aiti Rai. Aiti had a different experience than Ahmed. Aiti is a refugee from Nepal, and she was born in a refugee camp and lived in it until she was 16 years old. I am a teenager living in the United States, and I know I can be whatever I want to be and have goals and the potential to be able to reach them. Aiti told us that kids in the refugee camps don’t even know if they will have a meal each day or have clothes to wear. Thinking about their living conditions and what they put up with makes me become so much more grateful. Aiti says that she came to America unprepared, did not know the language, and had no friends. She “felt so lonely.” Aiti still believes it was the best decision she has ever and will ever make even though it was tough at first. Aiti is now a student at Wesleyan University and is studying to become a lawyer. She can easily connect with other refugees even though they may not be from the same country. They have all dealt with the pain of being “dehumanized.” Although when she first arrived in the U.S., she was confused and disappointed because she did not understand America, she feels now that she is living the American dream and is proud of where she stands.