They Live The American Dream, By Eileen Collins

In life, many are faced with two options: work intensively and make it to the top, or settle, happily, with what the individual has. The majority of the population will say that the former option is the ideal American Dream, but they wouldn’t be completely correct. The American Dream is, by definition, the ideal that every citizen should have an equal opportunity to realize success through hard work, determination, and initiative, but is this true for everyone? Can someone achieve their version of the American Dream without earning bags of money and buying large houses? The American dream is possible and very much so real, as it has more to do with the individual trying to reach the dream than the standards and specifications that come with the literal definition. Individuals can reach the dream through personal growth
Eileen Collins’ story in They Live the Dream exemplifies this point well because when she was growing up, “There wasn’t much money for family outings . . . so Collins saved up for lessons, and she had enough . . .” (Rather 44). Though she didn’t grow up with much money, Collins persevered and did what she needed to do in order to make her dream come true. There are numerous others like Collins who came from poverty-stricken families and make the best of their situation in order to succeed in whatever ways they can. Among personal growth and resilience, there are also opportunities for scholarships and grants through institutions that provide higher-level education. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, from 2008 to 2014, over eighty percent of full-time undergraduate students received financial aid. Because there are several types and standards, scholarships and grants are not naturally very difficult to acquire. Colleges and other higher-level institutions may be costly, but financial aid is relatively easy to obtain if one has proper