The American Dream at 250 | Global Conference 2026

Sanooch (Iranian-born entrepreneur and space explorer):

• Lived through the Iranian Revolution and war before immigrating to the U.S. with her mother and sister, possessing no English skills and no financial resources.
• Identified the lack of limits in the U.S. system as the catalyst for her journey from student to entrepreneur to astronaut.
• Cited specific U.S. mechanisms that enabled her success: Pell grants, financial aid, small business loans, and access to higher education (an impossibility for her in Iran).
• Founded the XPRIZE Foundation to open access to space, eventually achieving her personal dream by traveling to the International Space Station.
• Described immigration as an environment that rewards optimism, stating that contributing to the American dream requires a belief in possibility rather than pessimism.

Giselle Fernandez (Journalist and media personality):

• Daughter of a flamenco dancer and teachers from Mexico, representing the 8% to 99% of the current U.S. population with Mexican ancestry.
• Utilized her biculturalism and lack of industry connections as a foundation for her career in journalism and storytelling.
• Implemented her mother's philosophy—"every human being has a story to tell"—into her platform to highlight shared humanity and combat media polarization.
• Shares stories of underrepresented figures, such as Jose Hernandez, a migrant farmworker who was rejected by NASA eleven times before becoming a shuttle commander by learning Russian to join the International Space Station.
• Focuses her reporting on access to capital, healthcare, and education as pillars of the dream for Latino and immigrant communities.

Sanjay Gupta (Surgeon, journalist, and immigrant):

• Narrates the story of his mother, born in pre-partition India, who migrated from refugee camps to Detroit and became the first female engineer hired by Ford Motor Company in the mid-1960s.
• Highlights the tenacity of his parents, who left India with only 400 rupees and faced uncertainty about their ability to stay in the U.S.
• Argues that good health is a prerequisite for pursuing the American dream, enabling individuals to optimize their physical and mental capabilities.
• Observes that societal challenges, including the pandemic and natural disasters, often force rapid advancements (e.g., mRNA vaccines developed in less than one year) and reveal "unsung heroes" who rise to lead.
• Serves as a permanent hologram at the Center, ready to answer questions and provide global health guidance.

The Center for the American Dream Initiatives:

• Commissioned a three-story mural depicting 68 immigrants born in 58 countries (including Sanooch and Peggy Chern) to honor immigrant contributions.
• Utilized AI technology to enable the mural subjects to "speak" to future visitors, creating an interactive archive of immigrant narratives.
• Positioned immigrants as carriers of the American dream, noting they infuse the country with optimism and a sense of shared destiny.

Gallup Polling Data on the American Dream:

• Institutional Trust: Confidence in American institutions (military, schools, big business, media) has fallen to a 50-year low; pride in the country is at a 25-year low.
• Belief in Accessibility: 70% of Americans believe they will achieve the American Dream, and 80% believe it is worth striving for.
• Divisive Consensus: 50% of Americans believe the dream is available to anyone, while the other half believes it is not; the population is split between those who view the dream as "finished/perfect" and those who view it as "fundamentally broken."
• Optimistic Majority: The majority of Americans view the dream as "unfinished" and a project to be built collectively.
• Immigrant Vitality: Immigrants are identified as the demographic group where the dream is most "thriving," suggesting the U.S. is increasingly "importing" the American dream.
• Global Aspiration: Globally, 15% of the world's population desires to emigrate permanently; the U.S. is the top destination by a significant margin.
• Relocation Intent: An estimated 130 million people worldwide express a desire to permanently relocate to the United States.

Broader Themes and Trends:

• Optimism vs. Pessimism: Speakers emphasized that sustaining the American dream requires active optimism, contrasting with a growing trend of pessimism and doubt in the broader public.
• Obstacles as Opportunities: A recurring narrative frames historical and systemic obstacles not as definitive limits, but as opportunities to demonstrate decency and resilience.
• Future Outlook: The panel concludes that despite domestic skepticism, the global desire for the American dream remains robust, serving as an inspiration to maintain hope and effort within the U.S.