2019 Great Immigrants
The Honorees
Darius Adamczyk
Born in Poland
Chairman and CEO, Honeywell
Angelika Amon
Born in Austria
Cancer Researcher and Professor, MIT | Vilcek Prize in Biomedical Science
Julissa Arce
Born in Mexico
Author, Social Justice Advocate, and Cofounder, Ascend Educational Fund
Branka Arsić
Born in Serbia
Professor of English and Comparative Literature, Columbia University | Guggenheim Fellow
Richard Blanco
Born in Spain
U.S. Inaugural Poet and Memoirist
Wolf Blitzer
Born in Germany
Lead Political Anchor and Host, "The Situation Room," CNN
Ilia Calderón
Born in Colombia
Cohost, "Noticiero Univision" and "Aquí y Ahora," Univision
Andrew Cherng
Born in China
Cofounder, Cochair, and Co-CEO, Panda Restaurant Group, Inc.
Peggy Cherng
Born in Myanmar
Cofounder, Cochair, and Co-CEO, Panda Restaurant Group, Inc.
Alon Cohen
Born in Israel
Cofounder and President, Houzz
Wilmot Collins
Born in Liberia
Mayor, Helena, Montana
Maria Cornejo
Born in Chile
Fashion Designer and Founder, Zero + Maria Cornejo
Vilma Daza
Born in Peru
Community Library Manager, Corona Branch, Queens Public Library
Angus Deaton
Born in Scotland
Professor of Economics and International Affairs Emeritus, Princeton University | Nobel Prize in Economics
Gebisa Ejeta
Born in Ethiopia
Geneticist, Plant Breeder, and Professor, Purdue University | World Food Prize Laureate
Gustavo García-Siller
Born in Mexico
Archbishop of San Antonio
Theresia Gouw
Born in Indonesia
Cofounder, Aspect Ventures
Prabal Gurung
Born in Singapore
Fashion Designer and Founder, Prabal Gurung
Aleksandar Hemon
Born in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Writer and Professor of Creative Writing, Princeton University | MacArthur and Guggenheim Fellow
Luchita Hurtado
Born in Venezuela
Painter | Time 100 for 2019
Mukhtar M. Ibrahim
Born in Somalia
Founder and Executive Editor, "Sahan Journal"
Rahul M. Jindal
Born in India
Transplant Surgeon and Professor, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Dina Katabi
Born in Syria
Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT | MacArthur Fellow
Laila Lalami
Born in Morocco
Writer and Professor of Creative Writing, University of California, Riverside | Guggenheim Fellow and American Book Award Winner
Young Jean Lee
Born in South Korea
Playwright and Professor of Theater and Performance Studies, Stanford University | Guggenheim Fellow
Midori
Born in Japan
Violinist, Educator, and Arts Advocate
Debbie Mucarsel-Powell
Born in Ecuador
U.S. Congresswoman, Florida, District 26
M. Rosaria Piomelli
Born in Italy
Architect and Former Dean, Spitzer School of Architecture, City College of New York
Tomás Pedro Regalado
Born in Cuba
Director, Office of Cuba Broadcasting, and Former Mayor, Miami, Florida
Mariano Rivera
Born in Panama
Hall of Fame Baseball Player and Philanthropist
Paymon Rouhanifard
Born in Iran
Former Camden Schools Chief, and Cofounder and CEO, Propel America
Terence Tao
Born in Australia
Professor of Mathematics, UCLA | MacArthur Fellow and Fields Medalist
Adi Tatarko
Born in Israel
Cofounder and CEO, Houzz
Marc Tessier-Lavigne
Born in Canada
Neuroscientist and President, Stanford University
Linus Torvalds
Born in Finland
Creator of Linux and Git | Millennium Technology Prize Winner
Nari Ward
Born in Jamaica
Artist and Distinguished Professor/Head of Sculpture, Hunter College | Guggenheim Fellow and Rome Prize Winner
Leana Wen
Born in China
Physician and President, Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Nite Yun
Born in Cambodia
Chef and Restaurateur | Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Culinary Arts