Opportunities

Many people all around the world see the United States as the country of opportunities. There are multiple perspectives in the American Creed film that share similar beliefs, experiences, dreams and achievements. Deirdre Prevett, Condoleezza Rice, and Eric Liu all connect when it comes to their shared perspectives and values. They all value education, service and community. All of these values are opportunities that define what the American Creed is all about.

Many people see this country as the country of opportunities for the education they could receive. Opportunity is the American creed, and education is part of the American dream. Education opens opportunities to the student. In the film, Deirdre Prevett says, “Education is the key to success and to better yourself.” Which has a lot of meaning on how education gives opportunities. When she says education is the key to success, that is because education provides opportunities for more jobs, even better paid jobs, and provide stability. We see this in the film as well when we see David M Kennedy’s story on how his father was broke, he worked on a mine operation but when the Great Depression came he became bankrupt, which is what turned him broke. His dad did not go to college, but his son, David M. Kennedy, did. College gave David M. Kennedy opportunities by giving him stability and a better, well paying job as a college professor. When she says it is the key to better yourself, it is because education could also create better citizens, with critical thinking and teaching them more stories of different, diverse, things. It could also mean to better your life, which connects with the stability and more job opportunities part of the quote Deirdre Prevett said. Deirdre Prevett isn’t the only one who believes that education is a key to better oneself. In the film, Condoleezza Rice also talks about how education was a path to self improvement, I believe when she said that, she is talking about how education helped her better herself. This correlates with Deirdre Prevett’s quote on education. While she does speak about education bettering her, she also talks about how her family has been receiving education. Her family receiving education was a success itself. She comes from a Creek Indian family. At the time, Native Americans were getting their land taken away but Deirdre Prevett’s family was able to keep their land. They had enough oil in that land to pay for 5 generations to go to college, and her family then became educators after they received their education. It has created stability for her and her family, giving them good well paying jobs. Education has given them more opportunities, which is what the American creed is about.

When someone receives opportunities in life, the opportunities they take often open opportunities for others. Service is a part of the American creed because service is a form of giving back, giving opportunities to a new generation of people. Deirdre Prevett, Condoleezza Rice and Eric Liu all contribute to service, opening new doors for people. In the film, Deirdre Prevett speaks on being a teacher, an educator for the younger generations. Deirdre Prevett’s dream was to be an educator, and to her one of the main points of being American means to serve the next generation of children despite the obstacles. Deirdre Prevett got the opportunity to be educated, so she pays it back by being an educator to children. This opens the “Education” opportunities, that possibly their family could not have received, it gives opportunities to the children to continue their education path so they could have that key to self improvement and success. Condoleezza Rice contributes to service by also being an educator. She served her country as Secretary of State and she is also a professor of political science at Stanford University. She is also someone who is educated and has chosen to give it back to younger generations just like Deirdre Prevett. This also gives the opportunities of education to the students, Condoleezza Rice, just like Deirdre Prevett is giving opportunities to others with their services. Eric Liu also contributes to service. He served as a public servant for the government and he started an organization called Citizens University, which is a group that provides a series of workshops where people can come together as American citizens to work on learning American rights and ideals, one of them being one of Eric Liu’s beliefs, that paying back to others, contributing to service, is very important. He pays back by teaching people how they have to give opportunities. Eric Liu, just like Deirdre Prevett and Condoleezza Rice, is also college educated, and he also believes in giving opportunities to others. Service is about opportunities, which is why it is one of the main values of the American Creed.

Communities are meant to unify. Communities give opportunities by working together. Deirdre Prevett, Condoleezza Rice and Eric Liu all value community. I believe that community is a part of the American creed, because it creates new opportunities when you work together. It also relates to service, because a big part of the community is paying things forward to the people around you, whether it's something like education or just being there for your community. At Citizens University, Eric Liu makes people recite an oath. This oath is for making sure you are pledging to be an American, you recite the ideals and beliefs on what it is to be American. A part of the oath is to show up for others, which contributes to the community. When Condoleezza Rice speaks on community, she says “do what you want but don’t leave others behind.” Although a community may not have the same opportunities that education and service have, it gives the opportunity to unify as a group, to engage and interact with others. It is important because one of the goals for the country is to be whole, to support each other and to be with one another despite differences. Communities are meant to be diverse at the end of the day. Community is a big part of the American creed, and just like education, it is a part of the American dream.

The American creed is about opportunity. Deirdre Prevett, Condoleezza Rice and Eric Liu’s values all connect. They value education, service, and community. All of these values connect with opportunity. Education opens the door for more opportunities, service is about giving opportunities to others, and community will help create opportunities together.