Chardet Durbin, 26
New York, N.Y.
The American Dream for me is not what it might be for most. I have no interest in just obtaining a great job, house and family. Success for me is actually running my own company that operates in multiple countries.
Despite current economic obstacles, I do believe this will happen for me.
I believe the only prerequisites to success in this country are resourcefulness and determination. Outside circumstances do not matter. I am a female and ethnic minority, yet the statistically low number of similar groups in leadership positions does not deter me.
Although I graduated from college at one of the worst possible times (Summer 2008), I found work abroad. This gave me international experience and fluency in a third language.
When I returned to the U.S. two years later, I began working for a small company with an international outlook and I generate business for us both domestically and abroad; I don't know many other people my age with this kind of opportunity.
My current position, leading business development for a company that serves multinationals, has convinced me that where there is quality, there will be consumption and where there is talent, there will be success. This may not be true in other countries but it is always true in ours.
NEXT: Dreaming of... supporting a family
