Ellis Island Honors Society Presents the 2025 Ellis Island Medals of Honor

Leaders in business, education, entertainment, public service, philanthropy, 
media, healthcare, sports, and the defense of the United States
honored with the prestigious Ellis Island Medals of Honor
During Gala on Ellis Island 
**** Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden,
Receives Global Humanitarian Ellis Island Medal of Honor****

NEW YORK, May 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Ellis Island Honors Society (EIHS) awarded the 2025 Annual Ellis Island Medals of Honor, to 80 recipients including: Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden; Academy Award Winning Actor, Adrien Brody; Journalist and Television Host, Christiane Amanpour; Pfizer Chairman and CEO, Dr. Albert Bourla; Co-Founder of Moderna, Dr. Robert Langer; FOX News Business Anchor, Liz Claman; Chair of America250, Rosie Rios;  NYPD Deputy Commissioner, Intelligence & Counterterrorism, Rebecca Ulam Weiner; President & CEO of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Selwyn Vickers, MD FACS; President of The Ford Foundation, Darren Walker; Dean of the Medical Faculty at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Theodore L. DeWeese, M.D.; Former U.S. Energy Secretary and Noble Prize Winning Physicist, Professor Steven Chu, and Chairman, President, and CEO of The Vecellio Group, Leo Vecellio, Jr. To see the full list of 2025 recipients, please visit:  https://www.eihonors.org/eimoh2025.

Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden Received Global Humanitarian Ellis Island Medal of Honor:
Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden accepted the prestigious Global Humanitarian Ellis Island Medal of Honor, a distinction reserved exclusively for global leaders who have demonstrated extraordinary global impact. This honor recognizes Her Majesty Queen Silvia's lifelong dedication to humanitarian causes, most notably her work to protect vulnerable children through the World Childhood Foundation and Mentor Foundation, her leadership in advancing dementia care via the Silviahemmet Foundation, and her commitment to empowering youth and supporting people with disabilities worldwide. Her Majesty Queen Silvia joins a distinguished group of past recipients, including the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan, Northern Ireland's former leaders, Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness, Queen Farah Pahlavi of Iran, and Prince Albert II of Monaco.

Why, when and where 
The Ellis Island Medals of Honor have been awarded annually since 1986 to Americans, both U.S.-born and naturalized, who represent and contribute to the rich mosaic that is our great nation. This year, a total of 80 honorees were honored for their contributions in business, education, entertainment, public service, philanthropy, media, healthcare, sports, and the defense of the United States. Each medalist has embraced their personal immigrant history and recognizes the role that uniquely American opportunities played in helping them reach their goals. 

The medal ceremony took place on Saturday, May 10th, during a black-tie gala held in Ellis Island's Great Hall, which served as the gateway for 12 million immigrants to the U.S.

"Tonight, as we celebrate our shared history and the contributions of immigrants past and present, let us also commit to creating a better future", said Ellis Island Honors Society Chairman Nasser J. Kazeminy. "Because when we stand together, we honor Ellis Island and ensure that the American dream remains within reach for every one of us. As beneficiaries of America's promise, each of us carries a sacred responsibility to open doors wider, lift voices higher, and light the path forward for generations to come. "

For 38 years, the Ellis Island Honors Society has been fostering acceptance, respect, and understanding among diverse ethnic and cultural groups by celebrating acclaimed Americans of immigrant descent and others of distinguished character for their contributions to the world. EIHS is a 501(c)3 non-profit, which, in addition to presenting the Ellis Island Medals of Honor, is a humanitarian organization supporting educational opportunities for students with immigrant heritage and preserving the Ellis Island National Monument.

Among those honored
Since the Medal was founded in 1986, EIHS has honored distinguished and diverse Americans including: eight Presidents of the United States, Nobel Laureates Elie Wiesel and Malala Yousufzai; Generals Norman Schwarzkopf and Colin Powell; Justices Antonin Scalia and Sandra Day O'Connor; Secretaries of State Madeleine Albright, Condoleezza Rice and Hillary Clinton; Bob Hope; Muhammad Ali; Frank Sinatra; Rosa Parks; Mike Wallace and Rita Moreno. All have distinguished themselves through their significant philanthropic, artistic, intellectual and humanitarian contributions to this country.

The Ellis Island Medals of Honor rank among the nation's most renowned awards. The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives have officially recognized the Ellis Island Medals of Honor, and each year the recipients are listed in the Congressional Record.

ABOUT US
The Ellis Island Honors Society (EIHS) was founded on the conviction that the diversity of the American people is what makes this nation great. EIHS honors the contributions made by immigrants and their descendants throughout American history. We do this by creating scholarships with a focus on immigration, supporting cultural events and programs around the nation, and mobilizing our community of Ellis Island Medal of Honor recipients to raise funds for disaster relief worldwide.

SOURCE Ellis Island Honors Society