News & Stories

25 Distinguished Naturalized Citizens Honored by the Andrew Carnegie Foundation on America’s 250th Anniversary

Carnegie’s annual Great Immigrants public awareness initiative recognizes the contributions of immigrants across America

Jun 30, 2026

By Khafra Crooks

Media Contact

Khafra Crooks

KC@carnegie.org

New York, NY, June 30, 2026 — The Andrew Carnegie Foundation, formerly Carnegie Corporation of New York, announces the 2026 Class of Great Immigrants, Great Americans, recognizing 25 distinguished naturalized citizens whose contributions have strengthened America. The tribute, launched by the foundation more than 20 years ago, is celebrated every Fourth of July.

This year, on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Carnegie also recognizes the eight foreign-born signers of the country’s founding document. In an essay commissioned by the foundation, the philosopher Professor Kwame Anthony Appiah, a past Great Immigrant honoree, reflects on the role of immigrants in establishing the nation and the unending project of defining and refining what it means to be American.

The 2026 Class of Great Immigrants highlights naturalized citizens from 21 countries who are honored for their achievements in academia, the arts, business, medicine, sports, science, technology, engineering, and math.

They include:

  • Iman Abuzeid (Saudi Arabia) Cofounder and CEO of Incredible Health, which helps nurses find jobs in hospitals across the country
  • Hernan Diaz (Argentina) Author of the Pulitzer Prize–winning novel Trust
  • Gabriela Hearst (Uruguay) Founder of her eponymous fashion house
  • Jane Fraser (Scotland) Chair and CEO of Citi global bank
  • Abbas Karimi (Afghanistan) Paralympic swimmer, refugee athlete, and advocate
  • Cristian Măcelaru (Romania) Grammy Award–winning conductor and music director of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Orchestre National de France
  • Omar M. Yaghi (Jordan) Winner of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

The eight foreign-born signers of the Declaration of Independence are Button Gwinnett (England), Francis Lewis (Wales), Robert Morris (England), James Smith (Ireland), George Taylor (Ireland), Matthew Thornton (Ireland), James Wilson (Scotland), and John Witherspoon (Scotland).

“As the United States celebrates 250 years of independence, our Great Immigrants tribute reminds us of the myriad ways immigrants have contributed to our society,” said Dame Louise Richardson, president of the Andrew Carnegie Foundation, who is a naturalized American citizen born in Ireland. “In honor of our founder, Andrew Carnegie, himself a Scottish immigrant, we applaud the 2026 Class of ‘Great Immigrants, Great Americans’ for their talent, skills, and achievements as naturalized citizens.” 

In addition to the Great Immigrants initiative, the foundation is celebrating America’s 250th anniversary with $25 million in new funding to civic institutions and organizations to reduce political polarization, foster civic engagement, and bring people together. This includes a $10,000 gift to each of the nearly 1,400 Carnegie Libraries established by Andrew Carnegie and still in existence in the United States. The unrestricted funds are intended to further their missions and benefit their communities.  

According to the American Immigration Council, there are 48 million immigrants in America, about half of whom are naturalized American citizens. Immigrants make up 14 percent of the U.S. population and account for 23.6 percent of entrepreneurs, 28.4 percent of health aides, and 23.6 percent of STEM workers. Fifty-nine percent of startups valued at $1 billion or more were founded or cofounded by immigrants, and 66 percent of billion-dollar companies in the U.S. were founded or cofounded by immigrants or the children of immigrants, according to a June 2026 report by the National Foundation for American Policy.  

The Great Immigrants, Great Americans tribute was launched by the foundation in 2006 to raise public awareness of the economic and societal benefits of legal pathways to citizenship. It honors the legacy of Andrew Carnegie, who immigrated to America from Scotland in his teens, rose to become one of the world’s wealthiest men, and established one of the first philanthropic foundations in America. Over the last two decades, the foundation has recognized more than 790 Great Immigrants, resulting in one of the largest online resources of its kind.

The 2026 honorees will be recognized with a full-page public service announcement in The New York Times on the Fourth of July and tributes on social media. Please join the celebration by sharing on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X (Twitter) using the hashtag #GreatImmigrants. 

The 2026 Class of Great Immigrants:

Share

Democracy Great Immigrants Great Americans Ladders of Opportunity