USA
The Carnegie Corporation of New York has honored several Indian Americans as part of its 2024 Class of Great Immigrants, recognizing their significant contributions to American society. This annual recognition celebrates naturalized citizens whose achievements have enriched the United States and strengthened its democracy.
The honorees include:
- Abhijit Banerjee (India): Professor of Economics at MIT and Nobel Prize Laureate, Banerjee is renowned for his innovative work in alleviating global poverty.
- Dr. Ashish Kumar Jha (India): Dean of the School of Public Health at Brown University, Dr. Jha has made substantial contributions to public health education and policy.
- Eboo Patel (India): Founder and President of Interfaith America, Patel works to promote cooperation across religious differences through collaboration with governments, universities, private companies, and civic organizations.
- Premal Shah (India): A social entrepreneur and cofounder of Kiva, Shah has dedicated his career to building microfinance companies aimed at addressing global poverty and promoting sustainable development.
- The Honorable Raj Panjabi (Liberia), a global healthcare leader, entrepreneur, and former White House official, is among the esteemed honorees.
The 2024 Class of Great Immigrants features naturalized citizens from 16 countries, celebrated for their work in public service, education, health, journalism, the arts, and business. Notable honorees include:
- Leila Ahmed (Egypt): Professor at Harvard Divinity School and Author
- Mohammed Amer (Kuwait): Stand-up Comedian, Actor, Screenwriter, and Director
- Leon Botstein (Switzerland): President of Bard College, Conductor, and Scholar
- Mariano-Florentino (Tino) Cuéllar (Mexico): President of Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Esther Duflo (France): Professor of Economics at MIT and Nobel Prize Laureate
- Lorgia García Peña (Dominican Republic): Professor of Latinx Studies at Princeton University
- Sonia Gardner (Morocco): Cofounder of Avenue Capital Group
- Viviana Gradinaru (Romania): Professor of Neuroscience and Biological Engineering at Caltech
- Abbas (Bas) Hamad (France): Grammy-Nominated Rapper
- Eliu Misael (Michael) Hinojosa (Mexico): Chief Impact Officer at engage2learn and Former Superintendent of Dallas ISD
- Jensen Huang (Taiwan): Founder and CEO of NVIDIA
- Immaculée Ilibagiza (Rwanda): Author and Motivational Speaker
- Sir Jonathan (Jony) Ive (England): Artist, Designer, and Technology Executive
- Yann LeCun (France): Chief AI Scientist for Facebook AI Research (FAIR)
- Jim Lee (South Korea): President, Publisher, and Chief Creative Officer of DC
- Homa Naficy (France): Librarian and Immigrant Advocate
- Maria Ressa (Philippines): Investigative Reporter and Nobel Prize Laureate
- Ocean Vuong (Vietnam): Poet, Novelist, and Essayist
- Steven Yeun (South Korea): Emmy-Winning and Academy Award–Nominated Actor
Dame Louise Richardson, president of Carnegie Corporation of New York and a naturalized American citizen, highlighted the importance of these honorees. “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,” she said. “In honor of our founder, Andrew Carnegie, a Scottish immigrant, we celebrate these extraordinary individuals who have made notable contributions to American society.”
This recognition underscores the Carnegie Corporation’s commitment to celebrating the diversity and contributions of immigrants, who continue to invigorate American democracy.
