Non-profit founder’s ‘cliche’ belief in the American Dream: ‘This is the land of opportunity’

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 in 2026. Today, it’s Kilimanjaro Robbs, the California-based co-founder of Hidden Genius Project, a nonprofit that mentors young black men in technology and entrepreneurship. 

You always hear the success stories, but you never hear the stories of failure: Like, I failed 20 times, but I was able to accomplish my American Dream …

Kilimanjaro Robbs co-founded The Hidden Genius Project, which trains and mentors Black men in the realms of technology, entrepreneurship and leadership. Milken Center

I’m an American citizen, and I love America. One of the unique things I love about the United States of America is, it’s a cliche to say, [but] this is the land of opportunity — when you look at the structures, the vehicles that are in place that allow you to create opportunities.

You have your universities [and] you have scholarships, but then you also have Pell Grants that are funded by the government that are low interest loans that allow you to go to school. And when you look past that, you have the SBA program that allows you to take loans to start a business or acquire a business, which many countries don’t have.

So if someone looks at me and tells me, “Hey, I don’t have access, or I can’t do anything,” I look back at them and say, “There are opportunities here. There are different organizations that are providing free services or job training — all these different vehicles for you to move from the situation that you’re in to another situation.”

Robbs earned a business degree from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and a Master of Science degree from Northeastern. LinkedIn

Many countries in the world don’t have that. I’m humbled to be here. And I never ever take that for granted because I’ve lived in Jamaica, and I’ve seen what poverty looks like and what people do and what people have to go through to survive…

[Here] someone’s always at the end of the phone, someone is concerned about your well-being. There’s a village. You’re connected into something larger … There are so many bright minds, and you give them that push, that spark, that love, that hug [and] they can do truly amazing things.

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.