New York, NY, June 27, 2024 — Carnegie Corporation of New York today announced its annual list of Great Immigrants, honoring 24 naturalized citizens whose contributions have enriched our society and strengthened our democracy. Every Fourth of July since 2006, the philanthropic foundation has sponsored Great Immigrants, Great Americans, a public awareness campaign that celebrates immigrants’ vital role in American life.
The 2024 Class of Great Immigrants is comprised of naturalized citizens from 16 countries. The honorees represent a wide range of backgrounds and are recognized for their work in public service, education, health, journalism, the arts, and business, among other fields. They include three Nobel laureates, memoirist Leila Ahmed, rap musician Abbas (Bas) Hamad, NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang, industrial designer Sir Jonathan (Jony) Ive, DC president Jim Lee, investigative journalist Maria Ressa, and Emmy winner Steven Yeun.
“The 24 Americans honored today serve as a reminder of the economic and societal benefits that each new generation of immigrants brings to our country and the richness of talent, skills, and achievements they contribute to our democracy,” said Dame Louise Richardson, president of Carnegie Corporation of New York and a naturalized American citizen, born in Ireland. “In honor of our founder, Andrew Carnegie, a Scottish immigrant, we celebrate these extraordinary individuals who have made notable contributions to American society.”
The honorees include:
- Mohammed Amer (Kuwait) Born to Palestinian parents, Amer is an award-winning writer and stand-up comedian who promotes understanding between diverse cultures through the humorous retelling of his experiences as a refugee in the United States.
- Abhijit Banerjee (India) The Ford Foundation International Professor of Economics at MIT, Banerjee won the Nobel Prize in economics for his work in developing an experimental approach to alleviating global poverty.
- Mariano-Florentino (Tino) Cuéllar (Mexico) President of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Cuéllar supports democracy and diplomacy by leading the production of strategic ideas, dialogues, and independent analysis for policymakers to advance peace, cooperation, and improved governance.
- Esther Duflo (France) One of three women to receive the Nobel Prize in economics, Duflo cofounded MIT’s Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab to reduce poverty through scientific research that informs policy.
- Lorgia García Peña (Dominican Republic) A professor of Latinx Studies at Princeton University, García Peña focuses on the intersections and consequences of anti-Blackness and xenophobia in the Global North in her scholarly work, writing, and activism.
- Sonia Gardner (Morocco)As a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for Gender Equality in Access to Finance, Gardner advocates for women’s access to economic resources to start and grow businesses that lift their families out of poverty.
- Eliu Misael (Michael) Hinojosa (Mexico) Now the chief impact officer at engage2learn, Hinojosa spent his four-decade career expanding broadband access to students, increasing diversity among school leaders, and managing one of the largest school districts in the United States.
- Immaculée Ilibagiza (Rwanda) One of her family’s only survivors of the Rwandan genocide, Ilibagiza travels the world to spread her inspirational message of faith and forgiveness.
- Homa Naficy (France) A librarian at Hartford Public Library, Naficy founded the American Place to provide refugees and immigrants in the Hartford community with job training, English-learning resources, and U.S. citizenship preparation.
- Eboo Patel (India) Founder and president of Interfaith America, Patel works with governments, universities, private companies, and civic organizations to promote cooperation across religious differences.
- Premal Shah (India) A social entrepreneur, Shah has spent his career building microfinance companies to alleviate social problems, from global poverty to the transition to solar.
The Great Immigrants initiative aims to increase public awareness of the economic and societal benefits of immigration as part of the Corporation’s focus on strengthening democracy and reducing political polarization. According to the American Immigration Council, a Corporation grantee, immigrants comprise 13.8 percent of the U.S. population, more than half of whom are naturalized citizens. They account for 22.6 percent of the nation’s entrepreneurs, 23.1 percent of its STEM workers, and 15.6 percent of its nurses.
The Corporation’s Strengthening U.S. Democracy program supports immigrant rights, integration, and naturalization for eligible residents. More than a decade ago, the Corporation helped establish the New Americans Campaign, a national collaborative of funders devoted to assisting in the naturalization process — about nine million lawful permanent residents or green card holders are currently eligible. Led by the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, the campaign and its network of nonprofit partners have provided low-cost resources, including legal services, to more than 638,000 aspiring citizens.
Since 2006, the Corporation has named more than 740 Great Immigrants, forming one of the largest online resources of its type. The 2024 honorees, the 19th class in the program, will be recognized with a full-page public service announcement in the New York Times on the Fourth of July and through tributes on social media. Please join the celebration by sharing via Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X (Twitter) using the hashtag #GreatImmigrants.
The 2024 Class of Great Immigrants:
Leila Ahmed (Egypt) Professor, Harvard Divinity School, and Author
Mohammed Amer (Kuwait) Stand-up Comedian, Actor, Screenwriter, and Director
Abhijit Banerjee (India) Professor of Economics, MIT, and Nobel Prize Laureate
Leon Botstein (Switzerland) President, Bard College, Conductor, and Scholar
Mariano-Florentino (Tino) Cuéllar (Mexico) President, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Esther Duflo (France) Professor of Economics, MIT, and Nobel Prize Laureate
Lorgia García Peña (Dominican Republic) Professor of Latinx Studies, Princeton University
Sonia Gardner (Morocco) Cofounder, Avenue Capital Group
Viviana Gradinaru (Romania) Professor of Neuroscience and Biological Engineering, Caltech
Abbas (Bas) Hamad (France) Grammy-Nominated Rapper
Eliu Misael (Michael) Hinojosa (Mexico) Chief Impact Officer, engage2learn, and Former Superintendent, Dallas ISD
Jensen Huang (Taiwan) Founder and CEO, NVIDIA
Immaculée Ilibagiza (Rwanda) Author and Motivational Speaker
Sir Jonathan (Jony) Ive (England) Artist, Designer, and Technology Executive
Dr. Ashish Kumar Jha (India) Dean, School of Public Health, Brown University
Yann LeCun (France) Chief AI Scientist for Facebook AI Research (FAIR)
Jim Lee (South Korea) President, Publisher, and Chief Creative Officer, DC
Homa Naficy (France) Librarian and Immigrant Advocate
The Honorable Raj Panjabi (Liberia) Global Healthcare Leader, Entrepreneur, and Former White House Official
Eboo Patel (India) Founder and President, Interfaith America
Maria Ressa (Philippines) Investigative Reporter and Nobel Prize Laureate
Premal Shah (India) Social Entrepreneur and Cofounder, Kiva
Ocean Vuong (Vietnam) Poet, Novelist, and Essayist
Steven Yeun (South Korea) Emmy-Winning and Academy Award–Nominated Actor
To learn more about the foundation’s new comic series featuring Great Immigrants, visit carnegie.org/immigrantstories.
