Hugo Lam sees his story in Barack Obama's.
Certainly, there are differences. Lam was raised in Nicaragua by hardworking parents who inspired him to seek a better life in the United States. Obama is a native son of Hawaii and spent time in Indonesia; he was born to a black goat-herding father from Kenya and a white mother from Kansas.
But Obama's meteoric rise from humble beginnings to the nation's highest office resonates, Lam said, as the ultimate American success story - proof that while the streets might not be paved with gold, they still can lead to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
"I think for every Latino I speak with, his story is our story," said Lam, 39. "He comes from a poor family, a mixed family, and struggled as a teenager and found his way. He made himself succeed, and that is the American dream. ... He embodies our dream of America."
While the significance of Obama's victory to African-Americans is enormous, to other minorities and to young people, Obama represents a validation of their America.
The president-elect embodies a diverse nation, in which people of color will be the majority by 2042, according to census projections.
As voters of all backgrounds commemorate his barrier-shattering accomplishment, they wonder whether the country will reconsider old divisions, revise expectations and become more inclusive for them, too.
For Lam, director of Baltimore's Park Conservation and Community Outreach office who came to the United States in 2000 for a master's in forest science, it is perhaps a coming of age for a nation that elected 43 straight white presidents.
"Latino immigrants have had very few iconic figures to look up to when we got here," he said. When he cast a ballot for Obama last week, he did so because he found a role model.
"What is really interesting is how many different demographic groups he represents, how many people can see themselves in Barack Obama," said Bryn Upton, an assistant professor of history at McDaniel College. "There are statistically a lot of white people who can see their hopes and dreams in him, as much as black people who can."
Upton wonders whether the historic moment will produce an "Obama effect" - a demonstrable improvement in race relations. "We spend a great deal of time emphasizing firsts," he said, "but they have less meaning without seconds and thirds."
