Honoree Stephanie Foote Stephanie Foote Special Projects Jackson and Nichols Professor West Virginia University Stephanie Foote is the Jackson and Nichols Professor of English at West Virginia University. She is the a...
Honoree John Osburg John Osburg International Peace and Security Associate Professor University of Rochester John Osburg is an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Rochester. His research is br...
Honoree Sarah T. Roberts Sarah T. Roberts Special Projects Assistant Professor University of California, Los Angeles Sarah T. Roberts is an assistant professor of information studies in the UCLA Graduate School of Educ...
Honoree Gloria Estefan Gloria Estefan Musician “I cannot tell you enough how much I love this country, how much I am proud of having grown up here, how much I try to be emblematic of that freedom through my songs ...
Honoree Ron Daniels Ron Daniels Education President Johns Hopkins University “When I opted to become a citizen of the United States, I was proud to associate myself with its historic standing as a place that has ...
Honoree Aziz Sancar Aziz Sancar Biochemist and Biophysicist University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill “My parents were both illiterate, but they valued the importance of education,” Aziz Sancar said in 2005, whe...
Honoree Orlando Patterson Orlando Patterson Sociologist “The present wave of immigrants and their children are rapidly assimilating into an ever-vibrant American mainstream culture, and at a pace greater than the Euro...
Honoree Pierre Omidyar Pierre Omidyar Entrepreneur and Philanthropist “Our nation is stronger when we protect the rights of individuals to speak their minds, associate with whomever they please, and criticize their...
Honoree Sundar Pichai Sundar Pichai CEO Google “In Silicon Valley, being an immigrant doesn't matter,” Google CEO Sundar Pichai wrote in a 2017 memo to employees at the tech giant. “It’s the ideas that matter. We a...
Honoree Madeleine Albright Madeleine Albright Special Projects U.S. Secretary of State (1997–2001) “We are a country that has been created and populated by people from other countries, and so the Statue of Liberty’s mes...
Honoree Mohamad Ali Mohamad Ali CEO Carbonite “Despite the many challenges we face as a country today, the American dream is alive and real,” Mohamad Ali said in 2017 at a naturalization ceremony at the John F. ...
Honoree James P. Gorman James P. Gorman CEO Morgan Stanley “I figured if you live in a country long enough, you want to be a part of the political process and you sort of owe it to your hosts. They’ve accepted you. ...
Honoree Shuji Nakamura Shuji Nakamura Engineer Nobel Prize in Physics Shortly after immigrating to the U.S. in 1999, Nakamura told "Scientific American" magazine, "I want to achieve the American dream, that's why I...
Honoree Salud Carbajal Salud Carbajal U.S. Congressman California, District 24 “I believe that we honor our fallen service members first by keeping our promise to support their families and by guaranteeing our vete...
Honoree Matee Ajavon Matee Ajavon Professional Basketball Player "I just want to be able to give back to the game that has given me so much," Matee Ajavon told NJ Advance Media in 2017. Now, Ajavon is a point gu...
Honoree Carlos R. Ponce Carlos R. Ponce Neuroscientist Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis “My life here is a permanent debt that can only be settled by working for a more perfect union, by voting ...
Honoree Elliott Erwitt Elliott Erwitt Photographer “A picture that engages you, that makes you think, that gives you some kind of emotion, makes you laugh or cry. That’s a good picture," photographer Elliott Erwitt...
Honoree Sheila Lirio Marcelo Sheila Lirio Marcelo Founder, Chairwoman, and CEO Care.com "I feel like I am living the American dream of being an entrepreneur. Seeing Care.com on the big board is overwhelming and I feel pro...
Honoree Carmen R. Velasquez Carmen R. Velasquez New York State Supreme Court Justice, District 11 "It has not been easy for me but I am grateful for the opportunity to attend school and get an education, and the opportu...
Honoree Ralph de la Vega Ralph de la Vega Former Vice Chairman AT&T Mr. de la Vega is the former Vice Chairman of AT&T Inc. and CEO of Business Solutions & International on Feb. 1, 2016. In that capacity, he h...
Honoree Anthony Hopkins Anthony Hopkins Actor Anthony Hopkins is an Oscar-winning actor known for roles in many films, including The Lion in Winter, Silence of the Lambs and The Remains of the Day. Born on December ...
Honoree Douglas Leone Douglas Leone Venture capitalist and Global Managing Partner Sequoia Capital Douglas Leone is an Italian-born American venture capitalist and managing partner at Sequoia Capital. He moved to t...
Honoree Eren Ozmen Eren Ozmen Owner and President Sierra Nevada Corporation Eren joined Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) in 1988, shortly after receiving her MBA from the University of Nevada, Reno. With the same...
Honoree Jeff Skoll Jeff Skoll Founder and Chairman Skoll Foundation As founder and chairman of the Skoll Foundation, the Skoll Global Threats Fund, Participant Media, and the Capricorn Investment Group, Jeff Sko...
Honoree Viet Thanh Nguyen Viet Thanh Nguyen Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen was born in Ban Me Thuot, Viet Nam. He came to the United States as a refugee in 1975 with his family and was initially set...