From now through July 4, The Post, in conjunction with the Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream, is featuring US citizens explaining what the American dream means to them — including Georgia resident Crystal Hanlon, the Senior Vice President of Culture and Values at Home Depot.

The American dream is having opportunity. Being able to start at ground zero and end up running a multi-million dollar business. Where can you go and do that [but America]? It’s the most amazing place here, to live that dream. And I’ve lived it. 

I was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Once my mother passed, we moved to Texas. I was the youngest of seven … My sisters raised me. I do everything for my sisters because they really took care of me at critical times when I probably would’ve been out on the streets without them. 

I ended up [at the] University of Houston and I was gonna be a physical therapist. And I honestly was eating ramen noodles, five for a dollar. I didn’t have anything.

I saw that Now Hiring sign at Home Depot and went in to just pay my bills long enough to get through school. I started as a cashier … for $5 an hour, and never planned on staying … And then we did a Team Depot project [where] we help people. We built a wheelchair ramp for a little boy. And when he rolled down that ramp … his joy, his smile, and his parents in tears. We did all that together as cashiers, really not knowing even how to do it. 

It just felt like we were part of something bigger. And that’s why I ended up staying. I did every role in the store. I went to department head, assistant manager, store manager, district manager. Vice president of two different regions … I learned everything coming through the ranks. Forty years now.

Nobody realizes that in retail you can make all your hopes and dreams come true. The American dream, for me, is being able to take care of your family and your friends and being able to have success — and success is bigger than just money. 

The American Dream Video Project showcases real stories that illuminate pathways to opportunity. Featured at the Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream (MCAAD), this series is part of the Center’s celebration of America’s 250th anniversary. MCAAD is Washington, DC’s newest cultural institution, offering interactive exhibits and stories about achieving the American Dream. For more information, visit mcaad.org.