I'm Gen Z and many in my generation lost faith in the American Dream. Prove them wrong

Success isn’t a white picket fence for Gen Z. It’s paying off debt. Supporting our parents. The old roadmap, graduate, get a job, buy a house, sounds like fiction in today’s economy.

I’m living proof that the American Dream is still possible. But I know I’m an outlier. And unless we make bold changes — fast — my generation will stop believing it’s even worth trying. Steven Wang, 23, is a first-generation American and founder of a fintech platform dub focused on making investing more accessible to the next generation. dub has raised $47M, is valued at 9-figures, and has millions of downloads. He left Harvard to help rebuild belief in the American Dream—from the bottom up.

I’m 23 years old, a first-generation American. My parents came here from China in the late ’90s, carrying little more than hope and an oversized suitcase. They believed — maybe more than anything — that hard work meant opportunity. They didn’t have much, but they had that belief. And through discipline and what I now recognize as unimaginable sacrifice, they carved out a life that gave me the freedom to dream bigger than they ever could.