A Journey to America: Finding an American Dream

Determination, bravery, and love brings the story of my grandparent’s journey to America from India. This project explores my Grandmother's American Creed and how she adapted to a place so new, yet equally filled with opportunity.

By Jaya S. from Fayetteville High School in Arkansas

A Journey to America: Finding an American Dream 

Fayetteville High School

AP Block

This is a 10th grade PreAP Honors English 10 class co-taught with AP U.S. history.

Ethnicities' Ethical Creeds

America is chock full of different nationalities, ethnicities, and cultures, and these different ethnicities that make up our country understand the American Creed differently based on their unique backgrounds.

Saying the ‘I Believe’: Religion and Our Creeds

For this project, I interviewed the rector at my Episcopalian church. My goal with this project was to explore my own creed through my religion, and hopefully prompt others to do the same.

Contrasting Reflections

One of the biggest impacts you can have on someone’s life is being a flashlight in their rainstorm, and contrasting the world around them. This is how that belief has affected me and my relationships with those around me.

Minorities Migration for their American Creed

My project is to explain how the American Creed isn’t always exemplified through immigrants and people of color in America. While America was founded by immigrants, and built on the backs of people of color, time and time again these people are discr

Compassion Connects People

Sometimes the best way to discover a person's American creed is through the way they help their community and relate with the people in need around them.

Alienated

This is an essay about how my family affects how I fit in, my motivations to being successful, and my belief systems. Their choices or actions from before and after my birth have affected every aspect of my life.

Symbols Defining the American Creed

The creation and development of rituals and symbols supports the nations national identity and represents the American Creed. This annotated photo essay describes how the American Creed is made up by symbols and rituals of everyday life.

Native American Heritage

I come from a line of Cherokee Native American heritage including people like the famous Sequoyah and Chief Young Tassel! My family and many others were forced on the Trail of Tears and discriminated because of their different cultural backgrounds.

The American Ritual

To determine what rituals and traditions define the American Creed, I interviewed immigrants who are recent citizens about their opinion of the prompt.

Immigration and its Effects on the American Dream

As the daughter of immigrants I have been able to see and get a second-hand experience of how their hardships and battle scars have affected their political and social views. Find out how immigration affects one´s views of the American Dream.

Germany to America: Family History Shaping My American Creed

Without my Grandmother's efforts and her coming to The United States, I would not be apart of THE ALLEE family. This heavily impacts MY American Creed. The United States of America was and still is a place of opportunity for the less fortunate. 

What Shapes Us

America provides many opportunities for those who are willing to work. “Good luck is the residue of hard work. The harder you work, the luckier you get.”

It Runs In the Family, Kind Of

Although family is a significant factor in determining one’s American creed, individual experiences are more influential. To better understand this, I interviewed six family members and turned their thoughts into an essay.

A Profile in Service: My American Creed

"Legacy is not leaving something of people. It's leaving something in people" ----Peter Strople My family's legacy of service to others has not only shaped me into the person I am, but the person I aspire to be.

Social Issues in America

People are ignorant of many of the social issues that are still happening today. Through these drawings will help you be more aware of these important issues.

Action Through Artistic Expression

An analysis of the expression of American Creed and how it is portrayed in classical American art and how young artist can use their talents to show their creed in a similar manner.

Individuality

The question I chose was how does your family and community history connect to your american creed. This essay reflects on my family, the comforts I was raised in, and how they affected my current struggle to figure out who I am.

Connected American Creed across the country

From the original colonists who created the foundation of American Creed, it spread throughout the country, the ideals passed down through their descendants, and shared with new Immigrants as time passes.

Refugees: A Unifying Force

It is very important for local communities to have organizations that help with the refugee crisis. In this work I illustrate the ability of students to come together for a common, selfless goal.

More responses about "acceptance", "creed", "diversity", "hard work", and "immigration"

Surprise Me

My American Creed

This is my "American Creed" and what it means to me.

Remembering Our Creed

This piece was written to remind us of the symbols that represent our American Creed.

Honor and Integrity

My American Creed

United by our Differences

I interviewed people in my community and asked them what the American Dream means to them. I got a wide variety of answers that mentioned the economic opportunities, freedom and rights, and even that the American Dream is a way of life.

What is the American Creed?

Everyone's idea of the American Creed is different. This piece discusses my personal opinions on what I believe America stands for and how we can set aside our differences and truly symbolize the ideologies that many believe America stands for.

American Creed Video Essay

Thoughts on American Creed as shown by robot.

Is the American Creed the Villian against Race?

Your race may affect whether you receive the American Creed.

How Does A Military Lifestyle Affect Someone's American Creed?

American creed has many different meanings depending on the person. To any ordinary person this could mean everyday life, but to an active military personnel, it means, "equality, working hard, and accepting everyone for who they are." What's your American Creed?

My Family and the American Creed

This is the story of how my parents immigrated here from Cambodia and Vietnam and how the American Creed has affected their lives and stories.

My American Creed

Being an individual that is quite diverse, I have been profoundly influenced by my parents' experiences.

The Importance of the American Dream

My parent's stories about overcoming racial and economic adversity in different ways transform my American Creed into making sure everybody has opportunities to overcome their challenges and live their American Dream.

Growing Up in America With Immigrant Parents

I wrote about how my parents taught me to love who I am by being true to myself.

Diversity in America

Our project is showing how people of different races make America and how America is made up of all different and unique people. Black and white people are different in color but they are no different in worth.

The American Dream

I describe what brings us together as an immigrant.

My American Creed & How I Understand the American Creed

This is my story.

"Promise Land"

A poem on who actually makes up America.

An American Medley (Poetry)

Composed by Mia Colony and Sydney Stephens. Poems Used: "We Leave To-Night" by F. Scott Fitzgerald and "Growing Up" by E.H. "How Would You Describe America?" is an original poem by Mia Colony and Abe Frank.

Anthem

My poem is about American creed; referencing the battle of Gettysburg and the national anthem, concluding to everyone's belief being derived from our shared values in society

The American Dream

I believe that the idea of the "American Dream" greatly influences foreigners' views on America. This concept draws in foreigners in hopes for a better life. But, the "American Dream" can have many interpretations due to differing perspectives.

Refugees: A Unifying Force

It is very important for local communities to have organizations that help with the refugee crisis. In this work I illustrate the ability of students to come together for a common, selfless goal.

Same Motivations, Different Century

How our own history shapes our ability to understand others and create an accepting American creed

Now That I'm Older

A reflection on how my American creed has developed over the last few years.

Immigrating Creeds

I discuss how my parent's influence with immigrating to America has influenced their American Creeds and how that influenced mine as well.

Equal Rights for Me

I want people to be treated equal. In the end, we are all the same.

Writing Our Future: American Creed is part of the National Writing Project’s family of youth publishing projects, all gathered under the Writing Our Future initiative.

Writing Our Future projects are designed by educators for educators and the young people they work with. Intended for use in schools, libraries, and other educational settings. All projects are COPPA compliant and educator-managed. NWP is committed to supporting young people’s writing and civic participation by providing a safe and supportive environment for youth writing, media creation, sharing, and publishing.