As 16 year old, American Idol contestant, Melinda Ademi, walked onto the stage, she experienced just a glimmer of the American Dream.
This is an inspirational story of young girl from the New York area, who came to this country along with her family as war refugees from Kosovo. Her father spoke of winning the Green Card Lottery. This is a program that issues 50, 000 immigration visas every year to people chosen at random from eligible countries. Filling out an application is simple but it has to been done accurately and completely before it is submitted to increase your chances of winning the Green Card Lottery, also known as the Diversity Visa Lottery.
Her father spoke of how Melinda’s family won the green card lottery and were granted green cards to come to the U.S. Having a Green Card is a big deal because not only does it give you the right to live and work permanently in the U.S., it paves the way to U.S. Citizenship – the ultimate American dream.
In Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Charlie only needed one golden ticket to make his dreams come true. Melinda has had two golden tickets in her early life: winning the American Green Card Lottery and now the stage of American Idol in Hollywood. Dreams really do can come true – it’s just the American way.
“For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die.”
Senator Ted Kennedy, 1980 Democratic National Convention Address