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 — including Caryn Seidman Becker, the Chair and CEO of Clear.
My dad’s parents were from Eastern Europe. They came from nothing, and my grandfather came here when he was 17, [traveling] at the bottom of a boat for weeks. He was actually saved by HIAs, the Hebrew Immigration Aids Society. Didn’t speak the language but started with a hardware store, and that changed the trajectory of our family.
[Growing up in Potomac, Maryland,] the dinner table was for conversation on politics or what was on the cover of the paper, what Tom Brokaw was talking about that night on NBC News. We didn’t have a lot of money, so we didn’t travel a lot. Books were my opportunity to see the world. It was a household that was about education, that was about learning, that was about being your best, that was about religion and spirituality. And so I think all those things helped drive me …
I grew up in a house where girls were treated the same as boys. So that meant [my sister and I] mowed the lawn and we cleaned the gutters and we raked the leaves and we helped with dishes after dinner. We were brought up to be resilient and gritty and also very driven.
Resilient and gritty are key ingredients for Wall Street. And obsessive curiosity.
I went to the University of Michigan. I thought I wanted to be a sports reporter … and then thought I wanted to go to law school. But I ultimately went to Wall Street.
[Now, with Clear,] a lot of people ask me if it’s difficult to be a public company. One of the great days for me in business was going public on the New York Stock Exchange because it is such a historic place and it is where capitalism comes to life …
I believe in the public markets. I think it creates great optionality for companies because you have cash and you have your stock, which can be currency appropriately valued. I love being the CEO of a public company and I appreciate shareholders — I think you can learn a lot from them.
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.
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