My America is a personal story, and it is about opportunity.

I remember well my immigrant parents trying to make sure that my siblings and I spoke English correctly and knew how to read effectively. English was not their first language but they viewed the proper use of language as a tribute to their adopted country. This country gave them the opportunity to find good jobs, buy a house, and raise a family. Their success enabled them to help family back in Norway right after WW II, when we had numerous relatives come stay with us in the US while they tried to make new lives here.

The most important opportunity this country provided, in the minds of my parents, was education. My father came over as a young man, having gone to sea at age 14. He spent his life here as a seaman who never had the opportunity to go to College because he could not afford it. My father was both proud and envious of the college opportunities of his children.

More than any other country, America provides a breadth of opportunity for students to pursue an education. Our citizens can pursue learning through certificate, two-year, four-year and graduate and professional programs in liberal arts colleges and universities, technical schools, business schools, and many other types of institutions as well as in virtual schools. One could study almost any discipline or subject area known in the modern or ancient world. Substantial financial assistance is available through private, state, and federal grants, as well as loans and work study. No other nation combines the broad incentives with the encouragement we provide for our citizens to pursue a higher education. There are no national limits on spaces in schools or colleges.

What are the consequences? Recent studies continue to demonstrate that the more education a person has, the more likely they are to be both financially and personally successful, regardless of race, ethnicity, or other personal attributes. More importantly, the very democracy that provides us our freedoms and opportunities is dependent on an enlightened and educated citizenry.

What does my country mean to me? It is the nation where hundreds of thousands of people came to start a new life —to have the freedom to learn. My parents came to this country as one of these many to provide their children with the opportunity to get as much education as they could so that their grandchildren could attend the finest colleges and universities in the country. America was my parents' opportunity. The education it permitted was mine.