My American Dream began when my parents came to this country with me and my 3 brothers back in 1981. We were refugees, also known as “boat people.” My parents worked in shifts, my dad working nights in a liquor store and my mom as a cleaning lady in an office building downtown. They did this so one of them would always be home with us and supervise our studies. My dad always said that getting an education was the most important thing. We all worked really, really hard. My oldest brother is now a dentist and my younger brother is an orthopedic surgeon. I am in banking. We are proud to take care of my parents now that they are in their senior years. They gave us everything so we would thrive. They are so proud to be Americans and so are we.