How To Gain The American Dream

The alarm sounds at five, forcing his fatigued eyes open. He wakes immediately, although, still groggy about his surroundings. Walking past his framed college degree, he gets ready for another day at work. His feet ache from the previous day as he rushes to open the store on time. Restocking the chips and soda cans, he breathes heavy due to the constant manual labor that is required of him. Although his day has just begun, it will not end for another ten hours. He finishes the tasks of the morning and gets behind the counter, awaiting the next customer. He is my father, and even with a college education, he owns and operates a small convenience store in a deteriorating mall.
Life was not always this way. Like many other immigrants, my family came to the United States to chase the American dream. Initially, my father was assigned a job as an analyst at a software company, making decent money for the first few years. However, when the recession began, his hours were cut to the point where supporting a family of four was becoming near impossible. To make up for the lack of income, he scraped together some money to purchase a side business that generated just enough cash to make ends meet.
Even while working two low-paying jobs, he never refuses me when it comes to taking expensive ACT preparatory classes or paying costly extracurricular activity fees. He says it is because my sister and I are his greatest forms of success and that our achievements are his. His determination is what fuels my desire to pursue a college education and do well so I may prove that his efforts towards the betterment of my future were well worth the struggles he faced. He constantly makes these sacrifices since he knows that a good education is a critical step in my journey to becoming the first physician in the