My American Girls is a documentary surrounding the Ortiz family, first generation immigrants, who is hardworking, dedicated, and striving for success and pursuing the American dream. This movie documents the challenges they face in difficulties they face. However, it also shows how their surroundings, the community, plays an important factor in becoming who they are, especially their daughters. From being born in America, they are caught between parent’s values and their own. This is where the film shows the contrasts of being American but still living up to the immigrant values of their parents.

Being born in America, there are many things that distinguish you from your parents and the things you believe in. This is also the example for the Ortiz daughters. As they look on a different path to becoming something in life, there are many complications in reaching that successful platform. Having immigrant parents, it is very difficult for them to receive the proper education they need. Most of the complications that front the Ortiz daughters are social complications. Whether it is education and studying or hanging out with friends, they first set forward to know people and to “socialize” more with others rather than study. My mom, being a math teacher, has had a great amount of experience with connecting to kids who are new to the country and have first-year immigrants in the US. It is a difficult task for not just the parents but for their kids to adapt and to set themselves in the right direction. That is where the community needs to play a vital role.

On the other hand, it is maintaining the values of their family. Living in a community of Puerto Ricans/Dominicans, there is a sense of comfortability among the Ortiz daughters. Having the sense of religious unity is key that at least they have someone/something with them. Other than that, they don’t have much. They are left to explore their community and expand their knowledge. Through that, each of the daughters become different and develops their own characteristics. The community plays a vital role in shaping each of the daughters and motivates them to work hard but also to explore what is out there and see what they can do with that is out there.