Grateful for Dreamers—and Serendipitous Events That Shape Our Lives

How far can a dream take a person? For our son Jorge, a dream became his reality through hard work and dedication. As I reflect on the deep feeling of gratitude that makes this Thanksgiving extra special, I am both humbled and inspired by the many pathways of opportunity that continue to bring out the best of all of us in America today.

Just a year ago, as our family celebrated Thanksgiving, my wife Judy and I had just returned from Fort Benning in Georgia, where Jorge had completed the first phase of Basic Training as a new recruit in the U.S. Army.

It was actually during his early high school days—in a moment of serendipity—that Jorge entered our lives. In math class, our family received an unexpected gift when the teacher drew up a seating chart and placed Jorge in the desk behind my daughter Karissa.

As we got to know Jorge, we learned he didn’t have legal resident status in the United States. He’d grown up in California, from the time he was a year old. America was all he knew, but the constant pall of a potential deportation hung over his young life.

Jorge began living with us. We talked. We kept talking and started working on solutions as a family. The spouse of a colleague and immigration attorney, Albert Lopez, generously volunteered his time and outlined a path for a permanent resident visa. Albert worked through the arduous, mind-numbing details of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, and in time, we became Jorge’s legal guardians. As an aside, DACA kids are often referred to as DREAMers*, which couldn’t be more appropriate for this.

Today, only 18 months after earning an undergraduate degree as a civilian, Jorge serves in the U.S. Army as a rifleman and grenadier in the mechanized infantry unit and has been trained in anti-terrorism, operations security, and survival evasion and escape. He’s certified to operate the Stryker armored fighting vehicle and has completed pre-deployment combat training in the California desert at Fort Irwin.

That’s a lot to pack into a year and a half, but there’s more to come. A trusted, enthusiastic mentor who coaches Jorge is Hawthorne “Peet” Proctor, a member of our board at SpartanNash, who served nearly 35 years in the U.S. Army, retiring as Major General. We are so grateful to have Peet in our lives.

Peet Proctor and Jorge Sarsam

Peet has freely made himself available to answer Jorge’s questions about military service, and from early on in the conversations, they’ve talked about the possibility of Officer Candidate School. And for that, U.S. citizenship is required.

No problem. Our son, Jorge, the Dreamer, dug in and made it happen. His dream brought him all the way to full participation in American life and civic duty. And on October 19th, he took the Naturalization Oath of Allegiance to the United States of America. I could not be prouder and more grateful. This young man, a Dreamer from the time we met him nearly a decade ago, has achieved his dream and is now a U.S. citizen.

He follows in the footsteps of my father, who was also a newcomer to the United States in the late 1950s. My dad immigrated to South Dakota from Mosul, Iraq to attend college, and in 1970, he became a naturalized U.S. citizen in his pursuit of his dreams. He had great expectations for the new land he’d come to, which he instilled in me and which Jorge now carries forward.

Throughout these many journeys, with ongoing challenges and consequential choices, commitment has guided the way. Countless friends who have shared their talents in pursuit of dreams that benefit both the individual and American society as a whole.

These are qualities, I believe, to recognize and celebrate with profound gratitude at all times, especially at Thanksgiving. This is the time of year to pause and reflect on the blessings we receive, some serendipitously but all with the promise of new beginnings.

Thank you, Jorge, for inspiring our family this Thanksgiving. Thank you to the many people in our lives past and present who have supported us and cheered us on. The dreams we share and work to make real draw us ever closer together.

* Derived from the DREAM Act, which is a bill that is aimed to grant legal status to young immigrants residing in the U.S. unlawfully after being brought in by their parents.