Will COVID-19 Kill the “American Dream” ?
No, it’s not over yet. Keep your dreams alive. It’s time we fight this pandemic, head on !
As a secondary school kid belonging to a middle class family in India, I always dreamt of visiting the USA. For the first half of my childhood, it was merely a fantasy — I kept hearing from people that “America is cool”, “America has huge shiny buildings”, “America is for the riches”. I think I was in grade 7, when I saw this Bollywood movie — “Swades” casting one of the largest Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan.
The movie was about how an Indian, working at NASA, comes back to his village in India, and works hard in bringing all the villagers and the Panchayat (local village governing body) to build a hydro-electric dam to illuminate the whole village.
And yes, I watched the movie like crazy, probably more than 50 times. Till date, I do not understand what it ignited in me, I used to browse up the internet about NASA. I used to constantly ask my parents that what does NASA do, how did they send humans to moon. I also wanted to become like the protagonist — I also wanted to go to NASA and do something to make my country proud.
As years passed by, I started getting success in my life. I cracked the hardest exam in India — IIT JEE, I got into my desired branch, I managed to be among top 7% of my department, I got highly paid internships, I got to work as a General Secretary of one of the biggest clubs in my undergrad. But, somewhere in all this success, my American dream got lost.
Life gave me another chance — As I neared the end of my final year, I was working on a project which got me very interested in doing research. This persuaded me to leave my highly paying job to do a PhD.
I thought a lot, talked to a lot of people and decided to do a PhD in the US due to its reputation of world class research and top ranked and highly distinguished faculty. My “American Dream” was reborn, though this time, a more matured version. Today, I am living my dream, doing my PhD in one of the hottest topics of the decade — Machine Learning with one of the friendliest advisors I could ever get and at one of the most sought after centers for Power Systems research. And yes, irrespective of what people think, I am damn sure to contribute a great deal to my country after I get my doctorate.
Unfortunately, times have changed. This Pandemic has not only killed innocent lives, but also killed dreams of numerous people. Dreams of getting a job, dreams of having a successful business, and the BIG OLD American Dream.
Don’t let the FEAR take over your DREAM
My heart goes out to those who dreamt of living their American Dream, but now, have been pushed back to their seats in these times of uncertainty. With the US government imposing strict rules on international students who wish to pursue or are already pursuing their education at a US university, most aspirants have been left in distress and utter chaos. Around 1.7 million people came to the United States last year. Majority of them are here to obtain high class education in their dream American university, while a small proportion arrive on H1B work visa to fulfil their duties as an employee at an American company. I am in the US since 2018, and when I heard about the new rule from ICE, I was utterly confused, if not tensed. How could I just leave my PhD thesis midway and go back to India during such a scary time, when I had to think 10 times before stepping out of the house to get groceries ! I was not sure what operational status my university would be getting, and in the worst case, what would I have to do to get back to my country safely and still continue with my research? Luckily enough, we got a “Hybrid” operation status, which was a big relief for me and my fellow lab mates.
However, the unempathetic decisions taken by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has left such dreamers and aspirants in a deep hole. Many chose not to sit for job interviews due to their plans of getting post graduate education in the US. An aspirant, who was confused about what he should do now, messaged me on LinkedIn and said — “I fear the future. I may never be able to make it to the US anymore”. Students who are already in the US, are being forced to go back home incase their university goes completely online. A large number of companies who loved to hire international students, have now stopped hiring them, fearing the rules that the government may impose on their legal status in the future. Majority of students come to the US with a huge loan, and hope to get a dream job and repay it in a couple of years. Asking them to book expensive flight tickets and fly back home during this dangerous pandemic, but still charging the full university fee, is nothing but depressing and stressful for those who have to endure it and by some means, inhumane.
It is no mystery that immigrants from all over the world came to the US to earn a great living, but also, they worked hard and made America great. One of the most famous scientists, Albert Einstein, settled in the USA and contributed a priceless deal of knowledge and research which has been appreciated and acknowledged by the world. Many Fortune 500 companies in the US, contributing a great deal to the US economy, are being led successfully by immigrants.
Many people planning to live their American Dream will now take a step back and think —
Will I be supported by US during difficult times ?
Will I get enough work opportunities ?
What if after spending thousands of dollars on education at US, no company wants to hire me because I am not a citizen ?
This will not only hurt the reputation that the US has and the students it attracts from all over the world, but also take the edge off US’s competitiveness on a global platform. According to the US Department of Commerce, in 2018 international students contributed $45 billion to the US economy.
When we discourage or turn away international students, we lose much more than the students themselves… We lose their inventions and innovation, their collaborative input and their contributions to our communities. ~ Dr. Martha E. Pollack, President, Cornell University
Other countries like the UK and Canada have been considerate and respectful to the immigrants who have significantly contributed to their country’s educational growth, economy and politics. For example, UK allowed more time for international students to remain in the country after they graduate to find an employment. US however, made no such changes to their policies knowing about the hiring freeze in most companies and the already limited job opportunities available for F1 students, would make it really back-breaking for them to find a job during this pandemic.
The message from all this is clear —
Sending them back is not how the US will be able to revive its economy,
But using them as the pillar to fight back strong, is the key.
I am hopeful that everything will turn out to be great, so don’t let go off your American Dream too soon. Hold tight and nurture your learning and skills to make America want you more. America is still a great place to learn, get the best and the most modern education, and make an impact in the world. I sincerely hope and pray that the US will give back to its international community and keep its reputation of a strong economy alive, without hurting those who contributed a great deal in America’s greatness.
I hope you liked this article and my take on the current situation. I am very hopeful for things to get better and happier, but if you want to share anything or are worried about your American Dream — you can drop me a mail at jishnudeep.kar@gmail.com or DM me on Instagram.
