Since leaving her hometown of San Diego, California, Emi Koch’s passion for the oceans and the people whose well-being depends on them have taken her around the world. A Fulbright-National Geographic Award to Vietnam in 2019 marked a turning-point in her career path from professional surfer to sustainable oceans advocate.
Carina Ho is an acclaimed Oakland-based indie electronic artist and music producer, a talented professional dancer, and an inspiring children’s book author. She is also a wheelchair-user and a powerful disability rights advocate, who works at Airbnb to promote greater accessibility and inclusion within travel. Carina was paralyzed below the chest following a car accident in 2014.
Maria Ressa, a Filipino-American author, Fulbrighter, longtime CNN investigative journalist, and co-founder of the digital media company Rappler, received a 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for her work to support a free press.
Megha Rajagopalan harnessed geospatial technology and old-fashioned reporting to expose the scale of the internment of Uighur Muslims in China’s Xinjiang Province. For this piece of groundbreaking journalism Rajagopalan was awarded the 2021 Pulitzer Prize in International Reporting.
Victor Lopez-Carmen’s decision to become a doctor is rooted in his desire to challenge that invisibility and ensure that Indigenous Americans have equal access to health care. Lopez-Carmen is a member of both the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe and the Pascua Yaqui Nation.
Nataly Naser Al Deen has dedicated herself to the fight against cancer, both as a leading researcher and as the founder of an NGO that encourages fitness for breast cancer survivors. A three-time recipient of U.S. Department of State-funded scholarships, she is currently conducting postdoctoral cancer research.
Leila Cobo is a classically trained concert pianist, a novelist, and perhaps her country’s preeminent journalist focusing on Latin Music. As Latin Music has increasingly taken over the U.S. charts, Cobo has been there to document its meteoric rise.
Dr. Manuel T. Pacheco’s path to U.S. higher education leader could be considered “nontraditional.” He was the son of migrant farm workers, became the first in his family to attend college, graduated from a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), and earned a Fulbright U.S. Student award to France.
A first-generation college graduate, Dr. García was raised in Brooklyn, New York, by parents who migrated from Puerto Rico to work in factories and provide a better life for their family. They emphasized the importance of education, telling Dr. García and her four siblings, “the only inheritance a poor family can leave you is a good education.” These words have shaped her life.
Known in Rwanda as a mentor and prolific researcher, Dr. Eugene Mutimura advocates for his country’s development of science, technology, and education. While his scientific research is notable, Dr. Mutimura’s contributions to promoting young scientists and the growth of Rwanda’s scientific infrastructure are equally impressive.