The football team here in Jacksonville was sold last year at the end of the season. The owner is a naturalized citizen who came to the United States as a teenager. He went to school, worked hard, and built his own corporation. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the EPITOME of the American Dream – the new owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars – Shahid Khan.
This Thursday, the National Football League will kick off its 77th annual draft. By Saturday, 253 young men will be on their way to achieving their version of the American Dream. But there is one man for whom this year’s draft may be even more special. Jacksonville Jaguar’s new owner Shahid Kahn will spend his first draft inside the situation room as he continues to fulfill his own American Dream.
A native of Pakistan, Kahn came to the United States in the winter of 1967 with nothing but an acceptance letter from the University of Illinois. He found lodging at a local YMCA for $2 per night. In an interview with Forbes, Kahn explains his motivation for coming to the United States.
When asked what experiences motivated him to come to America, Kahn said, “I heard the streets were paved with gold. I found that to be true.”
On his second day, Kahn accepted his first job as a dish washer. He made $1.20 per hour. Looking back on his first job, Kahn recalls his thoughts:
“My God, what a country. I’m making more money than 99.9 percent of the people in Pakistan. This can’t get any better. Then I began engineering school, which was hard. And I would be saying, you know, if I can make this kind of money without a degree, why should I even be going to engineering school?”
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GO, JAGUARS!
