Outstanding Americans by Choice
The Outstanding Americans by Choice initiative recognizes the outstanding achievements of naturalized U.S. citizens. Through civic participation, professional achievement, and responsible citizenship, recipients of this honor have demonstrated their commitment to this country and to the common civic values that unite us as Americans.
USCIS will recognize naturalized citizens who have made significant contributions to both their community and their adopted country on a case-by-case basis.
Note: The following biographies have been provided by the ABC recipients.
2021
Sandy Dang is co-founder and principal of Coinnovate Consulting in Washington D.C., which provides leadership training programs for corporations, nonprofits, governmental agencies, and academic institutions. Dang has cultivated a team of professionals to build the next generation of leaders.
2017
Major Marisol Chalas is a 2017 U.S. Army Congressional Fellow and as part of the program she is serving as a Legislative Defense Fellow for U.S. Representative Betty McCollum (D-MN). Major Chalas has served in various public and private sector leadership positions and is a decorated pilot with over 27 years of experience in the U.S. Army Reserve and National Guard.
Meb Keflezighi is a professional long distance runner. He qualified for the 2016 Olympics in Rio and was considered the oldest Olympian distance runner at the age of 41. He won a silver medal in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, and finished in fourth place in the 2012 Olympics in London.
2016
Johan E. Uvin is the Acting Assistant Secretary for the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) at the U.S. Department of Education. He joined OCTAE in December 2009 as a senior policy advisor.
Florent A. Groberg is a retired U.S. Army captain who was born in Poissy, France. He is a recipient of the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military honor for his heroism while serving in combat operations in Afghanistan in 2012.
Ambassador Samantha Power is the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN) and a member of President Barack Obama’s Cabinet. At the United Nations, Ambassador Power works to advance U.S. interests, promote and defend universal values, and address pressing global challenges to global peace, security, and prosperity.
Dr. Julian Chun-Chung Chow is a professor at the School of Social Welfare at the University of California, Berkeley. He is considered a leading scholar in community practice, service delivery, and urban poverty in the field of social work.
Nationally regarded for a career spanning four decades in social justice, expertise in philanthropy and the nonprofit sector, and a lifelong devotion to underserved communities in Los Angeles County and beyond, Antonia Hernández joined the California Community Foundation as president and chief executive officer in 2004.
A native of Seoul, South Korea, Dr. Hesung Chun Koh emigrated to the U.S. as a 19 year-old scholarship student, eventually becoming a renowned scholar of comparative culture studies.
Sally Jewell was sworn in as the 51st Secretary of the Interior on April 12, 2013 to lead an agency with more than 70,000 employees.