Respecting the American Dream

As someone who came to this country with my family in the early 1980s, I’ve personally witnessed and experienced the opportunities that America offers. For most immigrant families, the United States was, and still is, considered the land of freedom and opportunity. A representation of hope and dreams to pursue better lives.

Four decades and numerous jobs later—from scooping ice cream after high school to waitressing through college—my professional aspirations embodied the dream that anyone, no matter their birthplace or background, can achieve success, and that upward mobility is within reach for all.

Today, I am a partner at one of the nation’s most highly regarded investor relations and strategic public relations firms, representing quality companies, large and small, in multi sectors throughout the globe.

Corporations, at their core, are made up of individuals. Regardless of position or job role, the vast majority of those individuals are people with values, ethics and the potential for positive impact, working together to achieve the common goal of growth, which ultimately benefits the entire organization.

However, achieving this growth isn’t just about the bottom line—it’s also about how we get there. It is crucial to remember that the principles of values and ethics, and the belief that we all have the potential to make a positive impact, can guide all of us toward a more constructive and unified future.

I take great professional and personal pride in working, alongside my colleagues, for a firm that advises executives in matters pertaining to communications with factual integrity. Honesty is not just a policy, but the foundation of trust. Investors, journalists and employees at all levels, and certainly including our society at large, depend on clear, accurate and transparent information to make informed decisions. Misleading and divisive rhetoric only undermines trust and stalls progress. When we prioritize forthright openness, however, we build credibility and foster a culture of respect and understanding.

By advocating for transparency and accountability within corporate practices, we challenge the notion of some, who believe that corporations are inherently symbols of self-serving greed, and instead, we seek to promote a different view, one where corporations can be agents for positive change and camaraderie.

With Labor Day celebrations now behind us, we recognize the many contributions workers have made to America’s strength, prosperity and well-being. We also embrace corporate achievement and the symbiotic relationship between production-line workers and those in the executive suite.

Together, we can foster more pathways and create new opportunities for people, regardless of origin, to achieve their own American dreams.

Judy Lin, jlin@pondel.com