Dr. Sandra Lindsay, the Jamaican-born nurse who made historical past as the primary particular person in america to obtain a COVID-19 vaccine outdoors of a medical trial, has been named considered one of Carnegie Company of New York’s Nice Immigrants, Nice Individuals for 2025.
Lindsay, now Vice President of Public Well being Advocacy at Northwell Well being, is considered one of 20 naturalized residents honored this 12 months for his or her vital contributions to American society. The philanthropic basis’s annual initiative—celebrating its twentieth anniversary—acknowledges immigrants who’ve helped strengthen U.S. democracy, innovation, and tradition.
Born and raised in Jamaica, Lindsay migrated to the U.S. within the Eighties and steadily constructed a distinguished profession in healthcare. She rose to nationwide prominence through the pandemic when she volunteered to take the primary federally licensed COVID-19 vaccine dose in December 2020. The second turned symbolic of science, hope, and belief in public well being efforts.
In recognition of her advocacy and management, Sandra Lindsay was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Joe Biden in 2022 and has since been a strong voice for equitable healthcare entry and science-based coverage. Her lately revealed memoir, First in Line, particulars her immigrant journey and frontline experiences.
“Being acknowledged alongside so many sensible minds from world wide jogs my memory of how a lot immigrants have formed this nation,” Lindsay mentioned. “I got here right here to pursue a dream, however I additionally got here to serve. This honor means every thing.”
The 2025 cohort of “Nice Immigrants” contains trailblazers throughout a number of fields, from Nobel laureates and CEOs to musicians, comedians, and elected officers. Amongst them are:
- Moungi Bawendi (France) – 2023 Nobel Prize-winning chemist for work on quantum dots
- Simon Johnson (England) – 2024 Nobel laureate in economics
- Tope Awotona (Nigeria) – CEO of Calendly, one of many world’s main scheduling platforms
- Shahid Khan (Pakistan) – Billionaire entrepreneur and proprietor of the Jacksonville Jaguars
- Tania León (Cuba) – Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and conductor
- María Teresa Kumar (Colombia) – President of Voto Latino, a civic engagement group
- Raúl Ruiz (Mexico) – U.S. Congressman representing California’s twenty fifth district
- Yuan Yuan Tan (China) – Former prima ballerina of the San Francisco Ballet
- Maz Jobrani (Iran) – Comic and cultural commentator
- Avi Wigderson (Israel) – Mathematician on the Institute for Superior Examine
- In whole, the 2025 honorees hail from 16 completely different international locations and mirror the variety and expertise that outline the American immigrant expertise.
To mark the twentieth anniversary of the initiative, Carnegie Company has launched a free digital comedian guide that includes illustrated tales from previous and current honorees—together with Lindsay—designed to encourage youthful generations and reinforce the optimistic affect of immigration. Free lesson plans and instructing assets, developed in partnership with the Nationwide Council of Academics of English, can be out there later this 12 months.
“The U.S. is a nation of immigrants,” mentioned Dame Louise Richardson, president of the Carnegie Company. “This initiative is a celebration of that fact—and of the people whose tales mirror the beliefs and aspirations of our nation.”
The full list of honorees can be featured in a full-page tribute in The New York Instances on July 4 and celebrated throughout social media utilizing the hashtag #GreatImmigrants.