Voices of the American Next

Sarah Johnson, aka Jonesey, explains her life and what events led her to come up with her personalized version of the American Dream.

Caleb Foglesong, 18, is a senior and the student body president at Kirksville High School. He analyzes the class divide within the high school and shares his theory of what makes children become successful in life.

I see some people who say that the American Dream is just getting by — it's just surviving. It's just doing what you have to do to put food on the table and make things work.

Our generation has been given more than any other generation, and we have to retrain our thinking. Instead of being expected to be given something, we have to expect to earn what we’re gonna get.

Ryan Stahlschmidt, 18, sees 'the American Dream' as a bygone relic of generations past. A self-described realist, Stahlschmidt hopes to achieve success on his own terms.

As attorney jobs have vanished since 2008, the debt law students carry is a heavier burden.

Jasmine Mack, 18, has big dreams. She wants to travel the world and become a teacher so she can work with children. She also plans to attend Moberly Area Community College, but all of this depends on her finances.

Having a baby and losing her father in the same year wasn't part of Amber Carpenter's plans, but she's still working toward her American Dream.

James Lehnhoff takes pride in the work he does to provide for his wife and kids, even if selling insurance might not be what he wants to do forever. He seems happy. The prospects for his family: promising. What about young people who aren't as lucky — who don't grow up in loving homes with goals, consequences or direction?

Our unpredictable future has left us without a plan for how to achieve our goals.

Esquire explores some of the hardships faced by young Americans in a must-read story titled "The war against youth."

Debates about America's health care are impeding America's innovation in the field.

Is the hesitance to travel to find jobs linked to students defining themselves as less hardworking and more entitled than previous generations?

College of the Ozarks allows students to work for the university in lieu of paying tuition. Students explain how they feel the program benefits them.

With student loan debt in the United States exceeding consumer credit card debt for the first time in history, the decision of whether to go to — or stay in — college becomes a cost-benefit analysis.

Colleges are offering a variety of cost-cutting incentives to lure in prospective students, but tactics such as freezing tuition and offering graduation guarantees can have negative impacts for students.

If we look beyond the here and now, what are the long-term ripple effects of the birth-rate decline?

"If you think you're succeeding, that's when you slack and you drop off the map," Eugene "EZ" Lacy says. It's active striving that is Lacy's American Dream. "Doing anything you want to be successful in," he says.

"It is a hard time in our society right now… with people living above their means… so many people needing assistance," Crystal Lain said. "It's a tough time right now but we're gonna make it happen. We're gonna get past this hump."