Outstanding Americans by Choice

Rosario Marin was born in Mexico and has been a naturalized citizen since 1984. Currently, she serves in Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s cabinet as Secretary of the State and Consumer Services Agency where she oversees the state’s civil rights enforcement, consumer protection, and the licensing of 2.4 million Californians in more than 255 different professions.

When Elie Wiesel was 15 years old he and his family were deported by the Nazis to Auschwitz from Romania. His mother and younger sister perished, his two older sisters survived. His father died shortly before the camp was liberated in April 1945. After the war, Professor Wiesel studied in Paris and later became a journalist. During an interview with Francois Mauriac, he was persuaded to write about his experiences. The result was La Nuit or Night, his internationally acclaimed memoir, which has since been translated into more than thirty languages.

Elaine L. Chao is the nation's 24th Secretary of Labor and the first Asian Pacific American woman appointed to a President’s cabinet in U.S. history. She arrived in the U.S. at the age of eight from Asia speaking no English. Secretary Chao's experience transitioning to a new country inspired her to dedicate most of her professional life to ensuring that people have the chance to build better lives and the opportunity to achieve financial independence.

Born in Shanghai, China, Dr. James S.C. Chao has dedicated his life to shipping, trading, and financing. He began his career in shipping as a cadet on ocean-going vessels after completing his college coursework in China. By the mid-1950’s he had advanced through the ranks to become one of the youngest ocean-going marine masters. In 1958, he shattered all previous records in the Republic of China by achieving the highest score ever on the national Master Mariner Examination.

Andy Garcia was born in Havana, Cuba, where his mother, Amelie, was an English teacher, and his father, René was a farmer and attorney. His family fled to Miami, Florida, when he was five years old. In high school, Mr. Garcia became interested in acting and continued pursuing it while at Florida International University. He moved to California a short time later, where he began his journey of becoming one of Hollywood’s leading actors.

Congressman Albio Sires serves the 13th Congressional District of New Jersey in the United States House of Representatives. Previously, he served two terms as New Jersey Speaker of the General Assembly from 2002 to 2006. Before being elected to Congress, Sires was serving his fourth term as an Assemblyman for the 33rd District in New Jersey and had been the Mayor of the Town of West New York in Hudson County since 1995.

Anh N. Duong and her family came to the United States as refugees of war after the fall of South Vietnam in 1975. She and her relatives left the day Saigon fell by helicopter and were taken to a Vietnamese boat that met up with a U.S. ship. Each family member jumped one by one onto the U.S. ship in high seas. Ms. Duong came to the U.S. as a refugee through Pennsylvania.

John L. Fugh was born in Beijing, China. He was 15 when he migrated to the United States with his family. General Fugh was The Judge Advocate General of the U.S. Army, retiring from that post in July 1993 as a major general. The Judge Advocate General manages the Army's worldwide legal organization, consisting of 4,700 active duty, reserve and civilian lawyers, and over 5,000 paralegal and administrative personnel. He was the first Chinese American to attain general officer status in the U.S. Army.