Honoree Bharati Mukherjee Bharati Mukherjee National Book Critics Circle Award-winning author “I am an American, not an Asian-American. My rejection of hyphenation has been called race treachery, but it is really a de...
Honoree Jim Carrey Jim Carrey Actor, Comedian “This country has helped define me and make my dreams come true,” Jim Carrey said in a 2004 statement after becoming a U.S. citizen. The actor, comedian and produce...
Honoree Mehret Mandefro Mehret Mandefro Physician, anthropologist, filmmaker “When people saw the film, they understood how women and girls are treated in almost every facet of society and how the issue of violence...
Honoree Michael Moritz Michael Moritz Chairman, Sequoia Capital "Since our wealth – like all fortunes – rests so heavily on the intelligence, work and contributions of others it seems only right that we voluntaril...
Honoree Nadia Comaneci Nadia Comaneci Five-time Olympic gold medalist in gymnastics "In my head, the destination was the United States, but I had no idea how I was going to get there. I was very scared, but I was m...
Honoree Noubar Afeyan Noubar Afeyan Entrepreneur, venture capitalist, philanthropist “What keeps you from innovating is being comfortable. If you’re an immigrant, then you’re used to being out of your comfort zon...
Honoree Sally Jewell Sally Jewell Former U.S. Secretary of the Interior “What I am most proud of and feel I really moved the meter on is resetting the federal government relationship with indigenous people of thi...
Honoree Selu Alofipo Selu Alofipo Artist, White House “Champion of Change” “Although I am very proud of my heritage, I am extremely thankful for the blessings and opportunities made available to me in this great...
Honoree Thuan Pham Thuan Pham CTO, Uber Technologies, Inc. “When we reached the US as refugees, we had to start our lives over with empty hands, but it was the hope and promise of the American Dream that kept ...
Honoree Thomas Campbell Thomas Campbell Born in Singapore and raised in Cambridge, England, Thomas P. Campbell is the director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, where he has overseen the openings ...
Honoree Preet Bharara Preet Bharara Known for his office's prosecutions of nearly 100 Wall Street executives, Preet Bharara is the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. His office has reached histo...
Honoree Rakesh Khurana Rakesh Khurana In addition to being the Dean of Harvard College, Rakesh Khurana is the Marvin Bower Professor of Leadership and Development in organizational behavior at Harvard Business Sch...
Honoree Eugene Volokh Eugene Volokh A law professor at the UCLA School of Law, Eugene Volokh is cofounder of the blog, "The Volokh Conspiracy," which runs on the Washington Post's website (which is independent of...
Honoree Ann Telnaes Ann Telnaes Ann Telnaes is a syndicated editorial cartoonist whose work appears in newspapers across the country. She is the second woman to earn a Pulitzer in this category and one of the f...
Honoree Thalía Thalía Born Ariadna Thaliaa Sodi Miranda, Thalia is a Mexican singer, author, and actress, who is known as the "Queen of Latin Pop" internationally. She has sold more than 400 million rec...
Honoree David Tran David Tran Businessperson Born in Vietnam, David Tran named his company, Huy Fong Foods, after the boat by which he immigrated to America. Seeking to create a kind of Heinz ketchup for the Vi...
Honoree Tan Dun Tan Dun Composer Born in 1957 in Si Mao, China, composer and conductor Tan Dun is one of the most prominent figures in classical music, merging Chinese musical traditions with Western instrum...
Honoree Lillian Vernon Lillian Vernon Entreprenuer Born in Leipzig, Germany in 1927, Lillian Vernon is one of the most successful female entrepreneurs in history. In 1951, while four months pregnant, she decided to...
Honoree Satya Nadella Satya Nadella CEO Microsoft Born in Hyderabad, India in 1967, Satya Nadella was appointed as the third Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft Corporation in 2014. One of his initial projects in ...
Honoree Sara Ramirez Sara Ramirez Actress Film and theater actor Sara Ramirez was born in 1975 in Mazatlan, Mexico. Best known for her role as Dr. Callie Torres on the popular television hospital drama, Grey's An...
Honoree Masi Oka Masi Oka Actor Born in 1974 in Tokyo, actor Masi Oka began his film career as a software developer at the special effects studio Industrial Light & Magic. Pursuing acting on the side, he ...
Honoree Manuela Hoelterhoff Manuela Hoelterhoff Journalist Born in 1949 in Hamburg, Germany, Manuela Hoelterhoff is an award-winning journalist and critic. Currently the executive editor of Muse, Bloomberg's arts and cu...
Honoree Safra Catz Safra Catz Chief Executive Oracle Named one of the most powerful women in the world by both Fortune and Forbes magazines, Safra Catz is the longest serving president and chief financial office...
Honoree John Cho John Cho Actor John Cho became interested in acting while earning his English degree at the University of California, Berkeley. He landed his first professional role in a stage adaptation of ...