The lives and troubles of the Ortiz family in ‘My American Girls’ are shaped and influenced by their neighborhood and community of Sunset Park, Brooklyn.

The Ortiz sisters find cultural safe haven and connection with the Dominican community of Brooklyn; the community is tight-knit and very involved in the lives of its members. Social company and support is evident when the greater Dominican community in Brooklyn gathers to celebrate the eldest Ortiz sister’s college graduation. The greater Dominican community also gathers at the Ortiz home at other social gatherings or simply  casual get-togethers, and offer a feeling of home to Mr. and Mrs. Ortiz, who still desire to move back to the Dominican Republic.

The presence and socially-inclined Dominican community also has its disadvantages for the Ortiz household. The eldest sister, Monica, considers the heavy flow Dominicans coming in and out of the Ortiz household as a distraction to her studies, and points out the detriment of their interaction with her younger sisters. Monica prioritized her studies and career as opposed to devoting her life to socializing with the Dominican community. This starkly contrasts with her sisters, who spend a disproportionate amount of their time with their Dominican friends, turning their attention away from their studies, and viewing life from a more lax Dominican perspective as opposed to a studious American perspective like Monica.