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It is vital to recognize the achievements of all Americans. This page will list the names, education, and accomplishments of these people, listed in alphabetical order by nationality.
This list is meant to inspire more Americans to achieve equal greatness and/or surpass it.
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It is vital to recognize the achievements of all Americans. This page will list the names, education, and accomplishments of these people, listed in alphabetical order by nationality.
This list is meant to inspire more Americans to achieve equal greatness and/or surpass it.
Name | Nationality | Accomplishments |
Ben Carson | Black | Even though Carson grew up poor in Detroit and had divorced parents, he applied and was accepted by Yale and offered a full ride scholarship. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in psychology.He was accepted into the University of Michigan Medical School and graduated with a Medical Doctor degree.Carson was accepted by the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine neurosurgery program as a surgical intern, then neurosurgery resident, and finally completing the last year as a chief resident.He spent one year as a Senior Registrar in neurosurgery at the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Nedlands, Australia.Carson was appointed John Hopkins Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery.He separated conjoined twins who were joined at the head.Carson has been a leader in medical innovation. He has written many peer-reviewed pieces and has worked on immunotherapies for cancer.Carson became the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under the Trump administration.He has written many books and received many awards throughout his career. |
Thomas Sowell | Black | Sowell was drafted into the military for Korean War and was assigned to the U.S. Marine Corps.After leaving the military (honorable discharge), he attended night classes at Howard University, a historically black college.His ability caught the attention of professors, which led him gaining admission to Harvard University, where he graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics.A year later, Sowell earned a master's degree from Columbia University.Sowell received a Doctor of Philosophy degree in economics from the University of Chicago.He was an assistant professor of economics at Cornell University.Sowell taught economics at Howard University, Rutgers, Cornell, Brandeis University, Amherst College, and the University of California, Los Angeles.He has been a Senior Fellow of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.He has been a prolific writer -- writing several books and having a nationally syndicated column.Sowell is a legend in his field despite growing up poor in North Carolina and New York. |
Clarence Thomas | Black | Despite being poor and a descendant of slaves, went to the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. He helped found the Black Student Union there. He obtained a bachelor's degree cum laude in English literature.He entered Yale Law School, from which he received a Juris Doctor degree.He was an Assistant Attorney General of Missouri under State Attorney General John Danforth (also a Yale graduate).Under the Reagan administration, he was Assistant Secretary of Education for the Office for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Education.Also under the Reagan Administration, he was chairman of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).President George H. W. Bush nominated Thomas to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.Thomas was confirmed by The Senate as an associate justice of the Supreme Court after an extremely contentious hearing despite no substantial evidence of wrongdoing, much like the Kavanaugh confirmation hearings that would occur decades later. |
Oprah Winfrey | Black | Winfrey received a full scholarship to Tennessee State University after winning a public speaking contest.She was hired as a co-host of a talk show, called People Are Talking in Baltimore.She was hired as the host of A.M. Chicago, which became the highest-rated talk show in Chicago.The Chicago talk show was renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show.Winfrey created her own magazine, called O.She created another successful talk show, called Dr. Phil.Winfrey was voted Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film The Color Purple.Despite growing up poor and being physically abused as a child, Winfrey's estimated worth is a whopping $2.7 billion dollars! |
Roberto Críspulo Goizueta Cantera | Cuban | Goizuetta graduated from Yale University with a bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering.He and his family defected from Cuba and came to the United States after Fidel Castro transformed Cuba to a Communist state.At the age of 35, he became Vice President of Technical Research and Development for Coca-Cola. He eventually became the Chairman, Director, and Chief Executive Officer for 17 years.Emory University's School of Business was named after Goizuetta.The Goizuetta Foundation continues to donate tens of millions of dollars to the Goizuetta School of Business. |
Carlos Castro | El Salvadoran | Castro left his wife and children behind to go to the US. He left his country, which was in the middle of a civil war. He entered the US illegally.He worked for an architect as a laborer, carpenter, then a foreman.A few years later, he became a US citizen and was able to get his wife sponsored and she worked as a maid.Castro set up a remodeling company.He started his own grocery store so his wife could run it rather than clean houses. It became so lucrative he was able to quit the remodeling career and work on the grocery store.His grocery store, Todos Supermarket, Todos Supermarket, has two locations and is is celebrating three decades in business. Castro has 185 employees. The business took in $15.9 million in 2011 and about $18 million in 2012. |
Do Won Chang | Korean | Chang worked in coffee shops, worked as a janitor and as a gas station attendant. He had to work three jobs at one time.He opened his first store in Los Angeles. He called it Fashion 21 and it was targeted towards fellow Korean-Americans.In one year, sales for the clothing store jumped 20-fold.Chang changed the name of his store to Forever 21 to appeal to more customers.Chang opened ten more stores within 5 years.Without a formal education and having broken English upon coming to the United States, Chang's wealth fluctuates but is estimated to be about $3 billion. |
Jennifer Lopez | Puerto Rican | Lopez learned how to dance at an early age at Ballet Hispánico.She learned flamenco, jazz and ballet at the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club as a teen.Lopez enrolled as a full-time student at Manhattan's Phil Black Dance Studio despite the parental advice she received to stay in college.Lopez spent five months touring Europe with the musical revue show Golden Musicals of Broadway.She danced in an episode of Yo! MTV Raps along with MC Hammer.Lopez danced in music videos, including a very popular Samantha Fox.Lopez landed a pivotal dancing job as a Fly Girl on the comedy show Living Color.She became a backup dancer for Janet Jackson.Lopez became a professional actor and landed television roles in South Central, Second Chances, Hotel Malibu.She acted in films Lost in the Wild, My Family, Money Train, Jack, and Blood and Wine.Lopez continued acting in films such as Anaconda, U Turn, Out of Sight, and a the voice in a computer-animated film Antz.She started a singing career. She eventually released an album, called J.Lo.She was in The Wedding Planner, which was very successful.She started her own clothing company.Lopez went on to make more films and albums that earned her a considerable landfall.She was a judge on the eleventh season of American Idol.Lopez grew up from humble beginnings but now her wealth is estimated to be around $47 million. |
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Africa is well known for its dire economic and health situations. Yet, Nigerians who leave their situation and roam abroad have seen a great deal of success. Their vehicle to success is values, like family and education.
"Sub-Saharan immigrants have higher educational attainment compared to immigrants overall and native U.S. citizens. In 2017, 40 percent of sub-Saharan Africans (ages 25 and over) held a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to 31 percent of the total foreign-born population and 32 percent of the U.S.-born population."
Migration Policy Institute, 2019
https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/sub-saharan-african-immigrants-united-states-2018
"The median income for households led by someone of Nigerian ancestry, for example, was $68,658 in 2018, compared with $61,937 for U.S. households overall."
Justin Fox, Yahoo! News (Bloomberg), 2020
https://www.yahoo.com/now/u-could-actually-more-nigerian-133011858.html
Research further shows the power of the US economy as it assists workers. Statistically speaking, moving the average Nigerian to the US (without increasing education or training) would increase the worker's earnings by a factor of 16!
Anthony O'Brien, Washington Examiner, 2020
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/op-eds/black-immigrants-success-shows-the-power-of-free-markets
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After examining the lives of successful people, certain characteristics are common. People who are high achievers are usually conscientious, disciplined, open to criticism, and internally driven. They have searched and found a passion. They are willing to hone skills that are related to their passions, spending thousands of hours improving on those skills.
Psychologists talk about something called the Parito Principle. It states that as one finds success, however small, it is more likely to lead to another success. It sets off a positive chain of events in a direction that is likely to lead a person to more easily overcome other obstacles. Successful people simply utilize this principle.
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The idea of "success" is not one that should pigeon-hole someone to think it only means material wealth. Success means cultivating skills one finds to be rewarding. Mother Teresa was never economically rich, but she was spiritually rich. It has been evident by the work she did helping others throughout her life. Tamyra Mensah-Stock, in the Tokyo Olympics, became the first female Black wrestler to win a gold medal in wrestling, which all Americans view as attaining great success.
It is now time for you to find your success. It is their waiting for you. All you have to do is to: look for it, recognize it, work with it to hone it, and become a better person for working in this direction. Success is a call for action because it is never given; it is earned through effort. The effort is often difficult and tiring.
You will know when you are on the right path. One of the hallmarks of finding the path to success is that it is immersive. Time passes without being aware of it. It is transformative in that it will remold you into a better person.
Without wasting another moment, search your mind to detect a passion. Find what moves you. Determine if it has potential for leading you to becoming successful. Then, move... Do it. Use the Perito Principle to your favor.
Demand the rewarding life that YOU deserve.
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Mathematics is a study of logic, patterns, shapes, and numbers. Building skill and conceptual understanding of this discipline will cultivate problem solving and critical thinking skills that branch out into other areas of life and disciplines. To learn more about the benefits of math, go to MATHguide's page, called Why Must I Learn Math?
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