America's Dream

Moving can be difficult for most teenagers, but when it's to another country, it can be even more intimidating.

America Martinez Gonzalez moved to the United States from Mexico with her parents at the age of 18.  She eventually learned English by watching the television show, "Friends."

She says, “Because of the language barrier, I felt so insecure about meeting new people. But "Friends" helped me overcome the struggle and I laughed a lot while doing so.”

Now she has two teenagers of her own and is one semester away from getting her associate degree in Baking and Pastry at the Culinary Institute of Charleston at Trident Technical College. Her dream is to open a Hispanic bakery.

For years Gonzalez would drive by Thornley Campus in North Charleston thinking how nice it must be to study there. At the time, she did not have a social security number, a high school diploma or the money to go to college. She thought the American dream was beyond her reach.

“I never thought I could have a career in the U.S. or be a student at Trident Tech. I thought when I got my G.E.D. that was as far as I could go," she says.

But when she first started the process of enrollment, everyone she encountered at Trident Tech told her the opposite.

“The faculty and staff made me feel as if I could do it, and I eventually believed them. I am now a confident student and proud to be a part of the TTC family,” says Gonzalez.   

Gonzalez received the Limehouse Produce Endowed Scholarship through the TTC Foundation two years in a row and that has allowed her to take classes outside of her degree - classes that will enhance her education and increase her success. In her scholarship thank you letter, she wrote:

“As an immigrant, I have learned that we must take every opportunity that comes our way because that is what the American dream is all about. As a mother, I try to educate my daughters by being an example to them. That is why, despite the hardships I may encounter, I keep fighting to earn my degree.”

And indeed, her daughters are proud of her. 

“My daughter said to me the other day, ‘Mommy, I’m so proud of you. Nothing has been easy for you and you still do it.’ And that just makes it all worthwhile.”

Read more about available TTC Foundation Scholarships, programs at the Culinary Institute of Charleston and the generosity of Limehouse Produce.