Rising Star Eric D’Alessandro: “My dream for young kids, especially where I come from, is for them to find what makes them happy”

My dream for young kids, especially where I come from, is for them to find what makes them happy. It sounds simple and corny, but I think the world needs that. According to society, it’s okay to follow your dream when you’re younger but then when you turn 22/23 and graduate college, then everyone comes at you with the “secure job” talk where you’re not supposed to be happy, you’re supposed to be safe and have a pension. It kills dreams and pressures people into taking jobs they wouldn’t take if they won the lottery tomorrow. Finding your true purpose is so important to me and I feel that it gets labeled as immature. People pressure you about age and marriage and families, so you have all of these people just settling instead of really figuring out who they are.