News Summary

• Through July 4, The Post is featuring US citizens explaining what the American dream means to them in 2026.
• Maria Contreras-Sweet is the former United States Administrator of the Small Business Administration.
• She was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, and arrived in the US at the age of five.
• "I had this beautiful grandmother who believed in the power of “yes.” In everything that I’ve done, I”ve always remembered beautiful Emelia," she says.